‘What we can do right here’: Albertans press ahead 1 year after tariff tensions begin

How businesses are coping with the trade-related turbulence of the past year, as political leaders announce more trips to develop new relationships.

Alberta and Ottawa have announced more trips to try to develop new trade relationships, nearly one year after the United States president first mentioned sweeping tariffs.

At his Jan. 20, 2025, inauguration, Donald Trump first announced the potential for tariffs.

Some tariffs eventually began, and so did trade wars and economic uncertainty, sparking a scramble for Canada to secure other partners.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is headed to China to meet President Xi Jinping next week.

Carney will be the first Canadian prime minister to do so after nearly a decade of tension.

“No doubt there will be challenges, and the two countries won’t see eye to eye on everything, but there are some common and shared interests,” said Jia Wang, senior adviser at the China Institute at the University of Alberta.

Alberta has fared better than many parts of the country, with its main industry, oil and gas, so far shielded from tariffs.

“There are certainly challenges ahead, many of which are out of our control, and so we’re focusing on what we can do right here in Alberta,” said Joseph Schow, Alberta’s jobs, economy, trade and immigration minister, in an interview with CTV.

The province is pressing for quick action on its memorandum of understanding with Ottawa to get more oil and gas to the west coast and has more trade missions planned.

“Looking for buyers for our manufactured products. Defence spending is a big conversation happening, and I believe Alberta is a fantastic jurisdiction for defence manufacturing, and so we’re going to continue to press that message on the world stage,” said Schow.

Schow said he plans to attend the Mobile World Congress in Spain in March and is also considering heading to the United Arab Emirates for AIPEC and Investopia.

For Canadian consumers, tariff-related pressures increased some costs and influenced spending trends, including a steep drop in travel to the United States.

“That is massive. You know that 30 per cent reduction is really driven by people choosing not to spend their dollars in the United States and choosing to either stay at home or vacation somewhere else in Canada,” said Keri Kettle, University of Ottawa marketing professor.

Business owners are also sending a message with where they spend their dollars, including Calgary’s Y Not Today board game, bingsu and bubble tea café.

“(It) pushes us to work harder to source local when possible, and I keep my eyes on news to see what we can do. What are the opportunities out here for us to tackle those challenges?” said the café’s owner, Zet Le.

Le said tariffs and trade wars in 2025 served up new challenges for his business.

“It has impacted a lot of ingredients that we rely on … like specialty syrup, tea, cups, lids and even equipment parts. The costs slowly increased, the margins got thinner, delivery time got longer,” he said.