How the US-Canada Trade War Affects Your Business
The US-Canada trade war is already raising costs across manufacturing, banking, insurance, and business associations in Canada. The United States has placed 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods, trade talks between the two governments broke down in August 2026, and Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect September 8, with no resolution announced on either side. If you run a business in Canada, or sit on the board of one, this has stopped being a headline you can skim past. It’s already changing what you pay your suppliers, what your American customers pay for your product, and how your leadership team talks about the next twelve months. keep reading to learn how the Trade War Affects Your Business.
TL;DR: Experts on the Trade War and National Affairs That You Can Hire for Events & Corporate Meetings
- John Baird: Canada’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, whose keynote “US-Canada Relations in Turbulent Times” was built for exactly this moment.
- Jason Kenney: Former Alberta Premier and federal cabinet minister, speaking directly to how this trade war hits the energy sector.
- Andrew Coyne: National Post columnist with a background in economics, known for pushing a room past comfortable talking points.
- Chantal Hébert: Toronto Star national affairs columnist since the 1970s, reading the political calculus behind Ottawa’s response.
- Althia Raj: CBC “At Issue” panelist and former HuffPost Canada bureau chief, on what this means heading into the next election cycle.
- Tod Maffin: Former CBC Radio host focused on how Canadians talk to each other about this without the conversation turning bitter.
- Rachael Segal: Co-host of Beyond A Ballot, bringing a federal and provincial policy background to the boardroom version of this conversation.
What’s Actually Happening in the US-Canada Trade War?
Start with the number that matters most to a Canadian business: 73% of Canada’s exports go to the United States, according to Al Jazeera. That single fact is why a trade dispute between two governments turns into a cash flow problem for a manufacturer in Ontario or an insurer underwriting cross-border risk.
The current round of US tariffs covers about 5.5% of Canada’s total export market directly, out of roughly $382 billion in annual exports, Al Jazeera reports. That sounds contained until you look at which sectors absorbed it: alcohol, dairy, technology products like smartphones and cameras, hockey and athletic gear, wood and lumber, and seasonal goods. On the US side, Canada’s retaliatory list hits automobiles, defence equipment, and farm machinery.
Trade talks between the two governments broke down in August, and each side blames the other. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the new US terms “uneconomic, unfair and undermined the net benefits for Canada,” while US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Canada “declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier.” It’s exactly this kind of breakdown, and what it costs a business day to day, that John Baird built his keynote “US-Canada Relations in Turbulent Times” to unpack, drawing on four years as Canada’s own Foreign Affairs Minister and what he describes as a $2.5 billion dollar daily trading relationship between the two countries.
Consumer confidence in the US fell in August to its lowest point in seven months, with oil, gas, grocery prices, and this exact kind of geopolitical uncertainty named as the drivers, Forbes reports. That matters for Canadian exporters too. A less confident American consumer buys less, tariffs or not.
Which Industries Are Being Hit Hardest?
Manufacturing carries the most visible damage, but it isn’t the only sector absorbing this. Here’s a closer look at where the direct impact lands and where it spreads.
Automotive: Canadian-built automobiles, trucks, and auto parts crossing into the US have carried a 50% tariff since January, Forbes reports, making this one of the longest-running and highest-value categories affected.
Consumer goods and agriculture: Alcohol, dairy, and seasonal goods sit on both countries’ tariff lists, which means the impact reaches Canadian producers and American retailers stocking their shelves at the same time.
Technology and manufacturing inputs: Steel, electronics, pulp, and paper are named specifically in Canada’s retaliatory list, which means Canadian manufacturers that rely on American inputs for those materials are watching costs rise on both sides of the transaction.
Farm equipment: Included in Canada’s retaliation list, which puts pressure on an agricultural sector already managing its own separate set of cost and supply pressures.
Every one of these categories sits downstream of a broader energy and resource relationship between the two countries. That’s the exact territory Jason Kenney speaks to, drawing on 25 years across federal cabinet posts and the Alberta Premier’s office to explain where Canadian energy policy stands in the middle of this fight.
How Does This Affect Banks, Insurers, Manufacturers, and Associations?
This is the part that doesn’t always make the headlines. Tariffs are a goods story on the surface, but the businesses feeling this aren’t only the ones shipping product across the border.
Banks are repricing cross-border risk and fielding client questions about currency exposure, credit lines, and supply chain financing that weren’t part of the conversation eighteen months ago. It’s the kind of question Andrew Coyne is built to sit with in front of a room, since his keynote is designed to “ignite debate and discussion” on exactly this intersection of economics and policy, backed by an economics degree from the London School of Economics.
Insurers are watching claims patterns and coverage exposure shift as manufacturers reroute supply chains and businesses reassess what counts as an insurable risk in a trade relationship that keeps moving. Reading how far Ottawa is willing to take retaliation, and what that means for the planning horizon, is where Chantal Hébert brings five decades of national affairs coverage to bear.
Manufacturers, beyond the direct tariff costs, are managing supplier renegotiations, inventory decisions, and, in some cases, decisions about relocating production closer to their end customers. Rachael Segal, co-host of Beyond A Ballot, spent her career translating exactly this kind of federal and provincial policy mechanics into terms a business audience can act on.
Associations and chambers of commerce are getting the same question from members on repeat: what does this actually mean for us, and how long does it last? That’s a question built for a conference stage, not a one-on-one call, which is where Tod Maffin and Althia Raj both fit. Maffin’s keynote “Relentless Decency” keeps a membership talking constructively rather than sliding into finger-pointing, while Raj, a CBC “At Issue” panelist and one of Talent Bureau’s most requested speakers, brings the sharpest read on how this trade dispute bleeds into the next federal election cycle.
Why Bring an Expert Into This Conversation?
Nobody, including the two governments involved, has said when this ends, and both sides believe they hold the more reasonable position, which is not a strong signal that a resolution is close. For a business, that uncertainty is the real problem, more than any single tariff rate. Budgets, hiring plans, and supplier contracts are hard to set when the underlying relationship could shift again next month.
A good speaker on this topic doesn’t tell your audience what to think about the politics. They give people a clear read on what’s happening, plus enough context to make better decisions this quarter, delivered by someone your audience will actually listen to because of who they are and what they’ve done. That’s the case for bringing someone into the room who can explain it clearly, without spin in either direction, for an executive team, a chamber event, or an association conference full of members asking the same question on repeat.
Who Are the Best Speakers on the US-Canada Trade War?
1.John Baird: The Direct Line to What Changed
John Baird spent four years as Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister and now advises at Bennett Jones while sitting on the boards of Canadian Pacific and Canfor. His keynote “US-Canada Relations in Turbulent Times” covers the current tariffs directly, along with the job impacts and the daily scale of the trading relationship. Of everyone on this list, his material maps most closely onto this exact conversation.
2.Jason Kenney: Energy’s Exposure to This Trade War
Jason Kenney served as Alberta’s Premier and held several senior federal cabinet posts over 25 years in public service, including departments tied directly to trade and economic policy. His keynote on the future of Canadian energy pairs naturally with this topic for any audience in oil, gas, or resource-adjacent manufacturing trying to understand how tariffs interact with energy policy.
3.Andrew Coyne: The Speaker Who Won’t Let the Room Off Easy
Andrew Coyne writes a nationally syndicated column for Postmedia and holds an economics degree from the London School of Economics. His keynote is built to “ignite debate and discussion” rather than deliver a tidy conclusion, which makes him a strong pick for an audience that wants to be challenged, not merely briefed.
4.Chantal Hébert: Reading Ottawa’s Next Move
Chantal Hébert has covered federal politics since the 1970s, writes for the Toronto Star, and appears weekly on CBC’s “At Issue” panel. She holds the Order of Canada. Her value here is political read: what Ottawa is actually weighing as it decides how far to take retaliation, and what that means for the timeline businesses should be planning around.
5.Althia Raj: The View From Parliament Hill
Althia Raj spent a decade as HuffPost Canada’s Ottawa bureau chief and now sits on CBC’s “At Issue” panel. She’s tagged as one of Talent Bureau’s most requested speakers. For an audience asking how this trade dispute bleeds into the next federal election, she brings the sharpest read on that intersection.
6.Tod Maffin: Keeping the Conversation From Turning Toxic
Tod Maffin built his keynote “Relentless Decency” around acting with integrity during polarized times. In a moment when trade tension can easily curdle into finger-pointing, he’s the speaker who helps an audience stay constructive with each other, including with American colleagues and partners in the room.
7.Rachael Segal: The Policy Background, Boardroom-Ready
Rachael Segal co-hosts Beyond A Ballot with Amanda Alvaro and built her career in federal and provincial policy roles before moving into broadcast. She’s a regular commentator on CBC’s “Power & Politics.” Her fit here is practical: she translates policy mechanics into terms a business audience can act on, beyond a purely political room.
Hire an Expert to Learn How the Trade War Affects Your Business
The trade war isn’t a one-quarter story, and it isn’t going to resolve itself before your next board meeting or member conference. You might be briefing an executive team, opening a chamber event, or setting the tone for an association conference full of members asking the same questions. In any of those rooms, the right speaker turns a source of anxiety into a source of clarity.
Want direct insights on how the trade war affects your business? Hire an expert. Browse the full Canada/US Relations speaker roster, our Politics & Current Events speakers, or International Affairs speakers, or contact our team and we’ll help you match a speaker to your specific audience and timeline.
FAQs: Conversations on the US-Canada Trade War
The trade war is raising costs across manufacturing, retail, and financial services. The United States has placed 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods, and Canada’s matching retaliatory tariffs on steel, dairy, appliances, and electronics took effect September 8, 2026, according to Al Jazeera. Nearly three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the US, so the exposure runs wide.
Automobiles, alcohol, dairy, technology products, lumber, and seasonal goods carry the heaviest direct tariffs, according to Al Jazeera, and automotive tariffs alone have sat at 50% since January, Forbes reports. Banks, insurers, and associations feel the impact indirectly, through client risk exposure, claims activity, and member questions about what happens next.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the United States introduced new terms in August that were “uneconomic, unfair and undermined the net benefits for Canada.” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Canada declined to finalize a deal under previously agreed terms. Neither side has announced when talks might resume.
Most organizations don’t have anyone whose job is to track tariff changes and translate them for a boardroom or member conference. Bringing in a speaker with a direct US-Canada relations background gives your team a clear, non-partisan read on what’s happening, plus a plan for working through continued uncertainty.
