As August 1 quietly slipped by, so did Canada’s last, best chance to avoid a sharp escalation in trade tensions with its most important economic partner. Unlike Mexico, which secured a temporary reprieve, Canada is now fully exposed to a 35% tariff imposed by the United States on a range of non-USMCA-covered goods. For the Canadian agri-food sector — and for consumers from coast to coast — this is less a policy adjustment and more a gut punch.
