VOA Mandarin: What do Canadians think about the threat of US tariffs?

US tariffs: Although the United States has temporarily suspended its 25% tariff on Canada, a new poll shows that Canadians are angry about US President Donald Trump's tariff threats against Canada and his remarks about making it the 51st state of the United States. Observers believe that once implemented, the US tariffs will hit the Canadian economy hard and may also benefit China. However, some Chinese entrepreneurs in Canada say that the US-Canada tariff war has limited impact on their business.

After taking office, President Trump first swung the tariff stick at Canada, his northern neighbor and close ally, and Mexico to the south. After several rounds of consultations, especially after Canada made a series of promises to improve border security, Trump announced a 30-day suspension of additional tariffs on Canada.

A new Ipsos poll for Global News Canada found that a whopping 68% of Canadians surveyed view the United States as a country more negatively after Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canada. Nearly half of respondents (46%) said they strongly hold this negative view.

This negative perception is also reflected in the sports arena. On the evening of February 15, the U.S. team was given a cold reception by the home fans at the four-nation ice hockey match in Montreal, Canada, and the national anthem was booed. On the evening of February 12, the audience at the Bell Centre also booed the "Star-Spangled Banner" before the first game of the U.S. team against Finland. On the night of February 1, when Trump signed the executive order to increase tariffs, the U.S. national anthem was booed by Canadian sports fans in the game between the Canadian Senators and the U.S. Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey Association (NHL), the North American professional hockey organization. The same thing happened the next day when the Vancouver Canucks played the Detroit Red Wings at home.

Canadians are angry

Some Canadians interviewed by VOA were also angry about Trump's tariff threats. One of them was Steve Saideman, director of Canada's defense and security network.

"(Tariffs imposed on Canada) will damage the U.S.-Canada relationship because Canadians are very unhappy about being bullied. They are very angry," he told VOA.

He also believes that the idea of ​​Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States will never come true.

"This started out as a way for Trump to piss off Trudeau when he met with him in his first term. Now, he realizes it will draw attention and anger people. He will use economic coercion to hold Canada down, but no, annexation is not going to happen," Seidman said.

The impact of the US tariffs on Canada

The United States is Canada's most important international merchandise trading partner. According to Statistics Canada, in 2024, Canada's total merchandise imports and exports with the United States exceeded the $1 trillion mark for the third consecutive year. The United States accounted for 75.9% of Canada's total exports; at the same time, 62.2% of Canada's total imports came from the United States. Canada's trade surplus with the United States was $102.3 billion, with energy exports being the key to Canada's trade surplus with the United States. In 2024, Canada exported $176.2 billion worth of energy products to other countries, the vast majority of which were exported to the United States.

Canadian economic analysts believe that the US-Canada tariff war has only been paused, and has not been completely "called off". The tariff stick will eventually fall, and this will seriously damage Canada's economy.

According to estimates by economists at CIBC Capital Markets, if the United States imposes full tariffs and "persists for a long time", Canada's gross domestic product could fall by 5%; inflation could rise to the upper limit of the Bank of Canada's target range, which is 3%.

Chinese entrepreneurs: Tariffs will bring about a chain reaction and cause certain losses, but the impact is limited

A Chinese entrepreneur who produces and sells kitchen utensils and containers was surprised by the U.S. tariff war against Canada. His business is spread all over the world, including China, and North America is one of his most important overseas sales areas. He asked not to reveal his real name during an interview.

He said: "I immigrated to Canada a long time ago. In terms of business volume, the US business far exceeds that of Canada, but I still regard Canada as the most important growth point. The tariffs were a big surprise to me. It was hard to imagine that the war of increasing tariffs would spread to Canada."

The entrepreneur said that sudden tariffs are indeed a tricky issue because it will bring about many chain reactions.

"For example, sharp fluctuations in the Canadian dollar exchange rate will directly affect the company's profits, especially in terms of overseas investment. If the 25% tariff does arrive, the depreciation of the Canadian dollar will cause the company to suffer losses," said Mr. Li.

The entrepreneur from mainland China said he is preparing for the arrival of tariffs.

"This will directly affect my future business plans. In order to avoid being affected, I have to consider a series of preventive measures," he said.

However, Mr. Lu, the owner of an Amazon transshipment warehouse in Toronto, expressed no fear of possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian products. The Chinese owner also did not want to reveal his real name.

He said: "My products are all light industrial products from China, such as charging cables, power banks, toys, etc. The original prices of these products are very low, but the key is that Canada cannot produce them. Even if the tariffs increase, the price will eventually be passed on to consumers."

The entrepreneur was originally worried that Canada would follow the United States in increasing tariffs on China. In his opinion, if the US-Canada tariff war breaks out, Canada is unlikely to increase tariffs on Chinese products. And based on past experience, the impact of tariffs is very limited.

"From another perspective, if the United States and Canada really engage in tariff confrontation with each other, Canada will be even less resistant to products from China, and many consumers will then prefer these high-quality and low-priced products," said Boss Lu.

According to a survey released by the German data analysis company E-Commerce Database (ECDB), more than 70% of the products sold by Amazon wholesalers and retailers are produced in China. A search on Amazon's Canadian website shows that Boss Lu sold 4,000 10,000 mAh power banks last month alone. The power bank is priced at 29 Canadian dollars. If Canadians' wallets are tight due to the tariff war, Chinese goods will be more cost-effective.

Robert Pol, CEO of Canadian Warehousing and Logistics, who holds dual citizenship of the United States and Canada, also believes that the US-Canada tariff war has limited impact on his business. He also expressed some understanding of Trump's tariff threat.

He said: "Trump is trying to be a tough guy. He wants to show his strength, and being tough on foreign countries is just one of the ways to show it."

But he does not want Canada to merge with the United States and become its 51st state. He also does not want to see the two countries alienated by tariffs and hopes that the United States will cancel its decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canada.

"I hope that our two countries can be like neighbors, helping each other, doing business with each other, and benefiting each other," he said.

Former congressman: China is reaping the benefits

Shi Qing, a former member of Parliament from Cremona, Alberta, Canada, believes that the outcome of the future tariff war between the United States and Canada is difficult to predict.

He said, "Trump and Trudeau have opposing governing philosophies, especially the Liberal Party, which is diametrically opposed to Trump. Especially after Trump returned to the White House, the left-right dispute has become more intense, which is bound to affect future tariff decisions."

He believes that if a tariff war really breaks out, the chain reaction it triggers will cause great damage to Canada's economy. And if there is a rift between the United States and Canada, China will inevitably benefit, especially at the ideological level.

He said China would use its propaganda machine to exaggerate the tariff dispute between the United States and Canada.