The first shots in a North American trade war were fired over the weekend and now we all get to figure out what our role in this battle will be.
We have heard from our business leaders, and to a lesser degree politicians, for years that Canada needs to up its internal trade game. We have some of the most protectionist and outmoded rules around when it comes to trade between provinces.
Well, now that our major customer is imposing tariffs that make our goods more expensive for them, we have to find alternate suppliers and markets. That could be right here at home.
The Prime Minister was not definitive about non-tariff actions but said that could include procurement. Who knows, that might mean buying fighter jets from European rather than American suppliers in our bid to meet our NATO commitment.
But the same mindset is equally important for us as individuals too. We can buy local where possible, supporting locally-based business owners or finding new places to vacation here at home or abroad.
