On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out plans to increase reciprocal tariffs on all its major trading partners. This has caused some Canadian companies to consider expanding into the U.S. to avoid any looming tariffs.
“If we wait for them to resolve our problems, I don’t think we’re going to survive,” says Jacques Champagne, associate director of international supply chain at Aluminium Depot Gatineau (ALDG).
The Quebec-based company is actively taking steps to ensure its future amid the looming U.S. tariffs Trump looks to impose on Canadian imports.
ALDG was founded in 1995 and employs about 60 people. It offers aluminum railings, columns, fences and flooring. Their raw materials come from Canada and across the globe, but and they ship a portion of their goods to the United States.
To get around the new tariffs, some Canadian manufactures are considering building factories in the U.S., but that investment comes with the costs of purchasing more equipment and hiring additional staff.
“It’s a big change of plans for us,” says Claude Poirier, ALDG president. “Now we have to find and open a manufacturer in the United States. It’s a big, big change financial-wise. We need to invest a lot of money.”
“I don’t think we can fight really against what’s happening now,” adds Champagne. “You need to deal with the reality and stop thinking, stop expecting, stop everything, because otherwise you don’t do any business. So, we decided to move on -- and there’s some impact on costs for sure, but business needs to keep going.”
The U.S. imports roughly half of all the aluminum is uses, with the vast majority coming from Canada. In 2024, Canada shipped 3.2 million metric tons of aluminum south of the border, twice as much as the next nine countries combined.
The Aluminum Association of Canada says most of the economic impact of U.S. tariffs will fall on small and medium sized businesses. ALDG is hopeful our neighbouring governments can reach a tariff deal that will benefit industries in both countries.
“I’m very confident that the federal government will continue negotiating with the American government,” says Poirier, “and at one point, they will come to an understanding that (tariffs) are not good for Canada, it’s not either for the United States.”
