United States President Donald Trump has paused a new round of 50 per cent tariffs, saying a trade deal with Canada is close. Those tariffs were supposed to take effect Wednesday. Instead, Trump pushed the deadline to Saturday, giving negotiators a little more time to finalize an agreement. But for some Calgary businesses, the threat alone has already forced major decisions. Trump announced the pause less than two hours before the midnight deadline, declaring on social media that Canada and the U.S. “have a deal.” The White House says Canada has committed to address American concerns involving alcohol, dairy and vehicles. The postponed 50 per cent tariffs would target about US$20 billion worth of Canadian goods and would apply even to some products that qualify under the existing free-trade agreement. A Calgary radio-equipment manufacturer says the continued uncertainty has already forced him to wind down a major part of his business. He says it’s also speeding up his plan to license his product to a company that could build it in the U.S. “Remember that I have to get things across the border in time before that tariff, which means that I shut my store down for U.S. sales last Wednesday,” said Ben Eadie, VFComms owner. “It feels like you’re in high school as a junior watching the seniors have a fistfight, and somehow you get pushed into the middle of it, and you’re like, ‘What’s going on?’” Canada is being more cautious than the U.S. about its language around the pause. Trump says the two countries have a deal that just needs to be put on paper. Prime Minister Mark Carney says only that “substantial progress” has been made and that important work remains. Negotiators have until early Saturday before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect.
