'We look a little stupid,' says Quebec manufacturer stung by Canada's counter-tariffs

Susan Campbell · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Ask Louis Lafleur however he's feeling astir American tariffs and his effect comes quickly.

"Ask maine however I consciousness astir Canadian tariffs!"

Lafleur is the president of Les Boisés Lafleur, successful Victoriaville, Que., 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The institution makes wood veneers: bladed sheets of a wide assortment of taxon — maple, ash, eucalyptus — that are past applied to plywood products similar countertops and furniture.

When speech of U.S. tariffs began soon aft the statesmanlike inauguration past January, Lafleur started losing sleep. He exports three-quarters of his finished merchandise to the U.S. and was dreading duties.

At first, his American clients, who were convinced tariffs wouldn't enactment successful spot long, said they'd wage a small much to assistance sorb the hit.

The U.S. tariffs connected his exports haven't materialized, but successful February, earlier helium near office, Justin Trudeau announced a counter-tariff connected $30 cardinal worthy of goods entering Canada from the U.S. — including the class of wood Lafleur uses for his veneers.

He imports each of his wood from the U.S., and he's been paying a 25 per cent work connected those imports since March 4.

"My clients are saying, 'now you're complaining due to the fact that your government [adds] a tariff?' We look a small stupid," Lafleur says.

LISTEN | Pain from counter-tariffs: 

'Band-Aid connected a breached bone'

Lafleur says helium should beryllium eligible for a work drawback — a reimbursement for astatine slightest portion of the wealth he's spending connected counter-tariffs. But accusation isn't casual to find. He doesn't cognize however overmuch helium tin number connected oregon however agelong a petition would instrumentality to process. In the meantime, he's playing it safe.

Les Boisés Lafleur would usually import six and a fractional truckloads of wood a month. Lafleur has lone bought 3 since February.

"If I bargain the wood and I don't get the wealth back, I'm going to suffer a tremendous magnitude of money," helium says.

Fewer wood deliveries volition mean reduced accumulation for Lafleur's company. He has started reducing the workforce by a varying fig of workers each week, typically betwixt 3 and six.

Lafleur applied for assistance nether a national programme enactment successful spot successful aboriginal March to assistance companies to support their staff, by allowing employees to stock enactment and suffice for EI. But helium calls that "a Band-Aid connected a breached bone." He doesn't spot the logic successful making Canadian companies wage a terms successful this commercialized war.

"When the Trump medication said we're going to enactment a tariff, everyone agreed that it would beryllium very, precise atrocious for them. And our absorption to that? To bash the same!" helium hammers.

Lafleur thinks the laying of counter-tariffs is much astir a governmental amusement than astir what's bully for business.

A manufacturing system connected the edge

The politician of Victoriaville, Antoine Tardif, is president of the determination economical improvement council, Destination Entreprise.

He says the section system has been booming since the COVID-19 pandemic. But since the opening of the tariff war, authorities agencies that money section projects, similar the Development Bank of Canada and Investissement Québec, are taking a measurement back.

"They person a batch of projects connected clasp due to the fact that of the uncertainty this creates," Tardif says. "The investments aren't going connected and for the city, the revenues won't beryllium coming in."

Tariffs person been apical of caput since the opening of the existent national predetermination campaign, and the leaders of Canada's large governmental parties person maintained a communal beforehand connected the necessity of counter-tariffs arsenic a effect to the American administration.

But businessmen similar Lafleur are not unsocial successful questioning the authorities response. Speaking to CBC Quebec, Concordia economist Moshe Lander underlined however this commercialized warfare is playing retired during a national predetermination campaign.

"You request to beryllium perpetually going successful beforehand of a microphone and expressing your outrage, expressing your vexation and to beryllium seen to beryllium doing something," Lander says.

"And this thought of 'let's retaliate backmost connected them' is unluckily the champion governmental happening to do, but it's not bully economics."

Economic worries apical of caput for voters

Conversations with voters successful the Richmond—Arthabaska riding, wherever Boisés Lafleur operates, suggest economical matters are apical of mind.

On a interruption from his occupation astatine a section market store, Maxime Gagnon says it's taxes and the outgo of surviving that he's reasoning astir — and he's made a choice.

"Pierre Poilievre seems much close erstwhile helium talks astir finances," Gagnon said of the Conservative Party leader.

Jean-Yves Houle says he'll ballot for the national person who's speaking to his concerns.

"It's poverty. We request to find a mode to marque people's lives easier," Houle says.

The riding is presently represented by Independent MP Alain Rayes, who near the Conservative Party successful 2022.

Lafleur, for his part, isn't consenting to hold until predetermination time to spot however parties respond to his company's existent situation. He's laying the work astatine the feet of the sitting government.

"We person Marc Carney, who's a non-elected premier curate and he's moving to beryllium an elected premier minister," Lafleur says.

''If by April 28 there's inactive a 25 per cent tariff, I cognize damn good who I won't ballot for."