A trade management company based near the border in South Surrey is sounding the alarm on hundreds of calls being made by businesses in B.C. each day looking for support in navigating the Canada-U.S.tariff war.
As tensions between Canada and the U.S. continue to rise, uneasiness can be felt in the country and province as travel, business and more continue to be threatened. For PCB Global Trade Management, a Surrey-based organization of customs and international logistics experts for importers and exporters on both sides of the border, the calls have not stopped.
鈥淲ell before these global tariffs shook the world marketplace, importing and exporting was complex, time-consuming and costly for the average business 鈥� but this tariff conflict has brought the realities into sharper focus,鈥� Greg Timm, president and CEO of PCB Global Trade Management, said in a press release.
鈥淭asks and processes that were once considered simple now require a level of expertise and focus that most businesses do not have in-house.鈥�
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce additional tariffs on Canada Wednesday (April 2) in addition to the 25 per cent tariffs he already announced on some Canadian goods, including the import of automobiles and certain automobile parts.
PCB says their phone lines are being "flooded" with businesses that are stressed about the current political climate and its impact on their companies. Each day from across B.C., Canada and the U.S., PCB says the calls are in the hundreds.
Questions are mounting but answers are harder to come by as the tariff war is ever-changing and unprecedented, PCB states, adding that there is often no simple solution that most are seeking.
The level of concern, confusion and anxiety with the current situation is something the organization has never seen before.
Most calls from businesses are inquiring about whether their goods are impacted and, if so, how to ensure they are following the guidelines and what other trade options are possible outside of the U.S.
鈥淲hat many importers in Canada and the U.S. may not be aware of is that there are more options than they think, and that鈥檚 why leaning on expertise is critical. While tariffs are a significant blow to the way things have worked in the past, in some cases, they can present a unique opportunity to make a business stronger than ever,鈥� Timm said.
Other trade agreements that Canada has include the Trans-Pacific Partnership, European Free Trade Association and Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
- with files from Lauren Collins
