Voters in Waterloo region say they're just trying to survive U.S. tariffs

With more U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods expected to take effect Wednesday, businesses and voters in Waterloo region are voicing growing concerns about the economic impact it could have.

A voter survey by CBC Kitchener-Waterloo shows that nearly half of respondents say tariffs and the suggestion Canada should become the 51st state in the U.S. are both their top election concern.

Just as the election was called on March 21, CBC K-W visited farmers' markets in St. Jacobs and Cambridge to speak to voters about their top election issues this federal campaign and most overwhelming said tariffs.

Karen Bramble is an interior stylist who sells wellness products and dried floral arrangements twice a week at the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market.

Bramble is feeling a direct impact on her business because she sources eucalyptus from California. It's a big part of her business and she says she may have to raise prices of each floral arrangement by about $3 on average.

"This is my bread and butter so I need to do what I need to do to survive," she said.

Ian McLean, CEO of the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, said tech, auto manufacturing and auto supply chain manufacturing are likely to take the biggest hit locally.

"It's across the board," he said.

The tariffs, which U.S. President Donald Trump announced as part of his 2024 re-election campaign, were scheduled to take effect earlier this year but were repeatedly postponed. Now, with the latest deadline set for Wednesday, local business leaders are already beginning the action plan process.

But outside of the region's manufacturing industry, McLean said the impact on smaller businesses can be harder to gauge.

"It's very individual because it really depends on where your input costs are going and where your final market is for your product," he said.

He said organizations like his, alongside the Business Economic Support Team Waterloo Region (BESTWR), which is the culmination of five large local economic development agencies, are working to try and mitigate the issue as much as possible.

They're helping small businesses find substitutions where materials come from and where products go.

This is part of BESTWR's work to create a tariff action plan for the Region of Waterloo. Modelled after their COVID-19 measures, the plan gathers information from businesses and then creates a support plan to bring to higher levels of government.