Roasted coffee, ketchup and home appliances such as combined refrigerator-freezers and dishwashers — these are just a few of the items which the Retail Council of Canada warns consumers they may soon be paying more for if they’re not sourced locally or from a country other than the United States.
The list of affected products was finalized by the Canadian government on Friday and the tariffs came into effect July 1.
The countermeasures are a response by Ottawa to U.S.-imposed tariffs on certain Canadian steel and aluminum products.
The retaliatory tariffs announced by the federal government include a 10 per cent surtax on a number of consumer goods, including motorboats.
Jessica Wadge, who works in sales at her family’s locally owned boat dealership, AVO Marine Sales & Service, said the tariffs will mean higher costs for consumers.
“It’ll have a direct effect on our sales which will affect our entire industry,” said Wadge. “The hard part is we’re already paying 32 per cent exchange on boats coming across the border, then we will also pay a 10 per cent tariff on that and then there’s always an increase from the manufacturer that we have to deal with.”
“Plus there’s an increase in aluminum this year, as well. It’s going to be an interesting year to see how much are Canadians willing to pay for U.S. products.”
Wadge said the boats currently in stock aren’t subject to tariffs but any new stock will be hit with the 10 per cent surtax.
It may be difficult in stores to know if you’re buying a product from the U.S. Certain products may be distributed in Canada but made south of the border.
Karl Littler, Retail Council of Canada vice president of public affairs, said consumers can look for “Made in Canada” labelling on products, but he said those products may contain ingredients from elsewhere.
“If consumers are going to pursue a buy-Canadian strategy you’re going to have to read the labels really carefully,” said Littler.
'No winners' in trade war: Manitoba chamber president
“Typically what’s going to happen, you’re going to see increased costs and those increased costs are going to get passed onto consumers,” said Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.
“So whenever you get into trade wars like this there are no winners.”
The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said the impact of the tariffs won’t be seen right away, but the longer it goes on the more Canada could lose.
“You could see job losses here in Canada, specifically in manufacturing,” said Davidson.
“When you look at Canadian companies and Manitoba companies that do business south of the border, what companies are having to do now because they’re putting in all of these tariffs, they’re thinking in terms of their bottom line.”
With files from CTV Winnipeg
