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Hadih and hello.
As I write this, the entire country -- and especially the business community -- waits to learn the exact details of the tariffs coming down on Canada from the U.S. government. By the time you read this, we’ll likely know a lot more. To borrow a pun from longtime Chamber member Darrell Hubbell, we’re all “tariff-fied” by what it all means for our city, our businesses, and our economy.
That fear shouldn’t freeze us in place but prompt us to action. Political and business leaders have talked for decades about diversifying international trade so we’re less dependent on the ups and downs of the American economy. They’ve also talked about reducing the significant barriers on interprovincial trade. Perhaps this crisis will finally turn that talk into urgent action.
Like the United States, Canada enjoys coastlines on both the Pacific and Atlantic, with ports on both of those oceans to efficiently ship our products to global markets. The problem is it’s always been more challenging and expensive to move our goods east and west to distant countries on the other side of oceans than it is to transport what we make a short distance south by land into the massive American marketplace.
Increasing our east-west trade is not only a good idea globally, but nationally as well. As our friends at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce rightly point out, interprovincial trade drives 20 percent of Canada’s GDP but internal trade barriers amount to a 21 percent tariff. Canada could boost its annual GDP by 4 percent, just by removing those barriers. It shouldn’t be easier for BC to trade with California than it is with Ontario and Quebec.
As your voice of Prince George business, the Chamber needs to hear from you about the challenges the American tariffs present to you and your business. When we speak about this issue to local, provincial, and national elected officials, as well as news media outlets, we want to talk about your business by name. We want to share your story to our colleagues at the BC and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, so that they can use Prince George examples in their lobbying efforts to show the effects of the tariffs in communities large and small, from coast to coast. So please send me a note or give me a call (250-552-6029). It’s my job to work on your behalf.
Let’s face this challenge together and explore the opportunities to help one another not only survive but thrive.
All my best,
Neil
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