THE polite shrugs are gone. So are the diplomatic nods and the hopeful optimism that a little patience might set things right. Across Canada, the mood has shifted from mild frustration to something more visceral: exhaustion, resolve, and a begrudging acknowledgment that under Donald Trump, the neighbour to the south is no longer a reliable trade partner, and may not be dependable in much else.

Trump’s trade war has hit Canada hard. Once a trusted ally, it now finds itself viewed as an economic adversary. In a fast pivot run, Washington imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods under the dubious pretext of ‘national security’. The decision, later partially walked back, has left Ottawa scrambling to decipher shifting exemptions, snapback deadlines, and looming levies that threaten to disrupt supply chains. For a moment, a temporary carve-out under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement offered some relief to potash — where tariffs were lowered from 25pc to 10pc — benefiting both nations, especially the US farm sector. Yet steel and aluminum tariffs will return on March 12, and an April 2 deadline for broader measures hangs overhead. As manufacturers and exporters brace for impact, the reprieve is fragile at best, and unpredictability has become........

© Dawn