On the campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to raise tariffs against China to 60% and to impose a blanket tariff of at least 10% on imports from every other country, friend or foe.
It’s not yet clear how he will follow through with that threat – mainstream economists have warned of its inflationary effects – but the president-elect and top advisers, including his former trade chief Robert Lighthizer, are working hard on it as Trump prepares to take office in January.
What effect would a blanket tariff have on Canada, whose economy is tightly integrated with the US? Brace yourself. A recent report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce estimated that a permanent 10% US tariff on Canada would cause US imports to fall by 10%, and knock as much as 5% off of Canada’s GDP.
Here’s a look at just how dependent Canada’s economy is on the US, and the key export categories.
