Canada is still dealing with some tariffs even as some are being delayed by the US, with USMCA-affected items being moved back a month to April 2nd. Despite that, the trade war still lingers with tariffs affecting other items and the federal government maintaining that counter-tariffs would not come off until the slate was cleared.
Estevan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Merissa Scarlett says as the situation is rapidly changing they're getting some good advice from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
"We really like where they're going with some of the advocacy that's being done at some higher level. For us, we commend some of what's been going on, some of the responses, but as well, we also acknowledge that it's going to be hard on consumers and it's going to be hard on business owners."
Two ways that Scarlett hopes to see help for those groups is a commitment to improving interprovincial trade and increasing labour mobility in Canada.
She's heard from a lot of business owners that tariff fatigue and uncertainty is a big pain point.
The biggest tip from Scarlett would be to destress even as the trade situation looks stressful.
"A big response is to take your breath, look at your business, and see how the next while goes. We don't know how big this impact is going to be just yet on our economy, 50 per cent of exports go to the United States, we're one of the lowest provinces. It doesn't mean it's not impactful, but it is kind of just taking that check and seeing what's going on and seeing how it's gonna impact your business."
Scarlett says the biggest impact that's likely to hit the southeast will be the oil and gas industry, which is still partially seeing some of their 10 per cent tariff as not all energy products are covered under the USMCA.
Manufacturing and ag are also big problems for any future tariffs that are reimplemented in April.
Saskatchewan has launched their own response to the tariffs as US liquor won't be available in Saskatchewan for retailers and SaskBuilds are pausing in some cases to see if they can use more Canadian supplies.
"Obviously, our liquor stores are going to be impacted on what they're gonna be able to bring in and what they have available moving forward. I mean there is a good variety of Canadian liquor, beers, and wine, and others from across the world. But it'll be interesting how those two industries face what Premier Moe put out."
Scarlett is taking the opportunity with these tariffs coming down to remind people to buy local.
"If you have to buy something, make sure you're shopping as local as you can. Sometimes we can't avoid buying products from the United States, that happens sometimes, you have to do what you gotta do. But as long as you're spending your money in town at a storefront, you're contributing to our economy in the southeast. Every dollar you spend, it's $0.66 that stays in the community. So it's a huge impact."