‘We look barely foolish,’ says Quebec producer stung by Canada’s counter-tariffs

Ask Louis Lafleur how he’s feeling about American tariffs and his response comes quickly.

“Ask me how I feel about Canadian tariffs!”

Lafleur is the president of Les Boisés Lafleur, in Victoriaville, Que., 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The agency makes wood veneers: skinny sheets of all types of species — maple, ash, eucalyptus — which could be then utilized to plywood merchandise like counter tops and furnishings.

When converse of U.S. tariffs began shortly after the presidential inauguration last January, Lafleur started dropping sleep. He exports three-quarters of his accomplished product to the U.S. and was dreading duties.

At first, his American purchasers, who had been happy tariffs wouldn’t preserve in place prolonged, talked about they’d pay barely further to help take within the hit.

The U.S. tariffs on his exports haven’t materialized, nonetheless in February, sooner than he left office, Justin Trudeau launched a counter-tariff on $30 billion worth of merchandise moving into Canada from the U.S. — along with the category of wood Lafleur makes use of for his veneers.

He imports all of his wood from the U.S., and he’s been paying a 25 per cent obligation on these imports since March 4.

“My clients are saying, ‘now you’re complaining because your government [adds] a tariff?’ We look a little stupid,” Lafleur says.

LISTEN | Pain from counter-tariffs: 

‘Band-Aid on a damaged bone’

Lafleur says he have to be eligible for an obligation drawback — a reimbursement for on the very least part of the money he’s spending on counter-tariffs. But information just isn’t simple to look out. He wouldn’t perceive how quite a bit he can depend on or how prolonged a request would take to course of. In the meantime, he’s having fun with it protected.

Les Boisés Lafleur would often import six and a half truckloads of wood a month. Lafleur has solely bought three since February.

“If I buy the wood and I don’t get the money back, I’m going to lose a tremendous amount of money,” he says.

Les Boisés Lafleur is looking for a lot much less wood from the U.S. to take care of the affect of a counter-tariff utilized by Canada. (Susan Campbell/CBC)

Fewer wood deliveries will suggest decreased manufacturing for Lafleur’s agency. He has started decreasing the workforce by a varied number of workers each week, often between three and 6.

Lafleur utilized for help beneath a federal program put in place in early March to help companies to take care of their workers, by allowing workers to share work and qualify for EI. But he calls that “a Band-Aid on a broken bone.” He wouldn’t see the logic in making Canadian companies pay a worth on this commerce battle.

“When the Trump administration said we’re going to put a tariff, everyone agreed that it would be very, very bad for them. And our reaction to that? To do the same!” he hammers.

Lafleur thinks the laying of counter-tariffs is further just a few political current than about what’s good for enterprise.

A producing financial system on the sting

The mayor of Victoriaville, Antoine Tardif, is president of the regional monetary enchancment council, Destination Entreprise.

He says the native financial system has been booming given that COVID-19 pandemic. But given that beginning of the tariff battle, authorities firms that fund native duties, similar to the Development Bank of Canada and Investissement Québec, are taking a step once more.

“They have a lot of projects on hold because of the uncertainty this creates,” Tardif says. “The investments aren’t going on and for the city, the revenues won’t be coming in.”

The mayor of Victoriaville, Antoine Tardif, says the two pillars of Centre-du-Québec’s financial system — manufacturing and agriculture — are in all probability in for successful from American tariffs. He says it’s already making people nervous. (Susan Campbell/CBC)

Tariffs have been prime of ideas given that beginning of the current federal election advertising and marketing marketing campaign, and the leaders of Canada’s important political occasions have maintained a typical entrance on the necessity of counter-tariffs as a response to the American administration.

But businessmen like Lafleur is not going to be alone in questioning the federal authorities response. Speaking to CBC Quebec, Concordia economist Moshe Lander underlined how this commerce battle is having fun with out all through a federal election advertising and marketing marketing campaign.

“You need to be constantly going in front of a microphone and expressing your outrage, expressing your frustration and to be seen to be doing something,” Lander says.

“And this idea of ‘let’s retaliate back on them’ is unfortunately the best political thing to do, but it’s not good economics.”

Economic worries prime of ideas for voters

Conversations with voters throughout the Richmond—Arthabaska driving, the place Boisés Lafleur operates, suggest monetary points are prime of ideas.

On a break from his job at an space grocery retailer, Maxime Gagnon says it’s taxes and the value of residing that he’s passionate about — and he’s made a various.

“Pierre Poilievre seems more accurate when he talks about finances,” Gagnon talked about of the Conservative Party chief.

Maxime Gagnon is fearful about income taxes and rising prices. He’s voting Conservative, because of he feels they’re going to answer to his issues. (Susan Campbell/CBC)

Jean-Yves Houle says he’ll vote for the federal chief who’s chatting along with his issues.

“It’s poverty. We need to find a way to make people’s lives easier,” Houle says.

The driving is in the meanwhile represented by Independent MP Alain Rayes, who left the Conservative Party in 2022.

Jean-Yves Houle worries for the next expertise, as he watches grocery prices rise. (Susan Campbell/CBC)

Lafleur, for his half, just isn’t eager to attend until election day to see how occasions reply to his agency’s current situation. He’s laying the accountability on the ft of the sitting authorities.

“We have Marc Carney, who’s a non-elected prime minister and he’s running to be an elected prime minister,” Lafleur says.

”If by April 28 there’s nonetheless a 25 per cent tariff, I do know rattling successfully who I can’t vote for.”