Canadians in crosshairs of trade war call Trump’s tariffs a ‘bad dream’

Karim Walji is certain he is about lose business. Worried he may have to shrink his workforce — fire people — for the first time in eight years. He blames President Donald Trump and what Walji sees as a reckless power trip.

Karim Walji is certain he is about lose business. Worried he may have to shrink his workforce — fire people — for the first time in eight years. He blames President Donald Trump and what Walji sees as a reckless power trip. “He wants the US to flex their muscle,” said Walji, a partner in AI Industries, a steel fabricating plant in western Canada. “He wants to show that the US is strong and, ‘Because I am bigger than you are, I can bully you around, and this is how I am going to do it.’” Last week, AI Industries was a shining example of one of the world’s most remarkable and lucrative trade relationships; US-Canada trade totals just shy of $800 billion annually. This week, it is a casualty in Trump’s new trade war: Almost all goods coming from Mexico and Canada are subject to a 25% tariff, while goods coming from China are subject to a 20% tariff. All of this is likely to result in slower economic growth and higher costs for consumers. The British Columbia visit was the first international foray for our All Over The Map project, which is shifting from its initial focus on the 2024 campaign to the impact of the new administration’s policy agenda. AI Industries is just one example of the economic and human consequences, both at home and abroad, of Trump’s moves to reshape America’s key trade relationships. “We essentially are not competitive in the US anymore, so our business model in the US is gone,” Walji said in an interview. “About 75 percent of our work right now is actually US-based. We do projects in Washington state, Alaska, the odd job in Hawaii. That market is essentially shut down for us.”