As the premiers of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories met last week in Ontario, with Prime Minister Carney making an appearance on Tuesday, the looming August 1 deadline to reach a new free trade deal with the United States was top of mind.
And with the threat of 35 percent tariffs on non-CUSMA-compliant Canadian goods potentially disrupting our mutually beneficial trade relationship even further, it’s little wonder this issue is a priority. Consumers and producers from both countries suffer when protectionist policies make it more expensive to buy and sell from one another across the border.
But the cost of disrupting trade is not measured solely in dollars and cents.