Ontario braces for impact of Trump tariff announcement coming Wednesday

Adam Carter · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 11:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Ontario, similar overmuch of the globe, is holding its enactment and waiting for details to look from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff program Wednesday.

Trump has dubbed it Liberation Day and is scheduled to uncover the afloat scope of his protectionist commercialized argumentation astatine 4 p.m. ET successful the White House Rose Garden.

But portion Trump volition astir surely onslaught a celebratory code for the announcement, trepidation reigns for others — like Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who continued appearing connected U.S. quality shows Wednesday, informing of antagonistic impacts connected some sides of the border.

"He calls it Liberation Day. I telephone it Termination Day, due to the fact that radical are going to beryllium losing their jobs crossed the U.S.," Ford said connected CNBC. "You can't conscionable each of a abrupt enactment tariffs connected each portion and each widget that comes crossed the border.

"[Trump] believes helium is supporting Americans. He said helium was going to make jobs, make wealth, trim ostentation — it's worked the full opposite."

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Trade warfare putting relations astatine risk: Chow

The White House insists these tariffs volition execute respective simultaneous goals: rise revenues, wage for taxation cuts and unit companies to physique successful the U.S. The banal marketplace doesn't look to beryllium convinced nevertheless — it has mislaid each its gains since the American election.

Speaking astatine a virtual gathering of respective U.S. and Canadian mayors from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Wednesday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said that Toronto does $123 cardinal successful commercialized with the U.S. each year.

"Unfortunately, President Trump's commercialized warfare is putting it each astatine risk," Chow said. "People connected some sides of the borderline … are feeling anxious — they're disquieted astir their jobs and the interaction this commercialized warfare volition person connected their outgo of groceries, gas, homes, cars, and it truly doesn't person to beryllium that way."

Chow called connected on Trump to "end these threats erstwhile and for all."

"Let america not wounded each other," she said. "We person a shared committedness to look retired for each other, to marque definite our communities enactment connected, to enactment unneurotic contempt these challenges."

Questions abound

Many questions stay astir precisely what measures volition beryllium revealed Wednesday, such as whether Trump volition denote 1 level planetary tariff or aggregate alleged reciprocal measures. 

The White House isn't saying. Media reports suggest it's inactive being debated internally, despite Trump having spent 2 years campaigning connected this idea.

"Are they imposed connected countries? Are they imposed connected commodities?" asked Thomas Schaller, prof of governmental subject astatine University of Maryland portion speaking connected CBC Radio's Metro Morning Wednesday.

"And if it's commodities, is it the full commodity oregon are the parts included?"

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And yet different question, Schaller said: "How agelong earlier helium starts clawing them back?"

Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers'​ Association, told CBC News the duties announced Wednesday could see a wide 20 per cent retaliatory tariff, oregon they mightiness people circumstantial countries — and immoderate countries mightiness get disconnected easier than others.

But Volpe stressed that "when those things spell through, radical volition suffer jobs. Regular radical who don't person a dependable successful Washington oregon successful Ottawa are going to suffer their jobs."