Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with US officials to discuss a new trade deal before 50-per-cent tariffs take effect on Wednesday, impacting $28 billion worth of Canadian exports. Bhavjit Thandi, CFO of Richmond Plywood, stated that his company cannot absorb the costs of the tariff, which will affect 20% of their sales. Prime Minister Mark Carney expects to speak with US President Donald Trump before the deadline, but details on the talks are scarce. Economist Brian Yu estimates that BC will feel about 13% of the pain from these tariffs due to its share of exports affected.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Canada and the US are racing against a deadline to secure a new trade deal before 50% tariffs take effect on Wednesday. The tariffs will impact approximately $28 billion worth of Canadian exports, including 20% of sales at Richmond Plywood, a manufacturer in British Columbia. The company's CFO, Bhavjit Thandi, said that the tariffs are not something they can absorb and will not be paid by US customers. Prime Minister Mark Carney expects to speak with US President Donald Trump before the deadline, but no further details were disclosed. The trade talks have been ongoing, with Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc meeting with US officials last week.
Written for “Canadian Tariff Impact” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.40 for article 1013 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-25
A Richmond plywood manufacturer is concerned about what Wednesday is going to bring for his business.
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Wednesday → go → business
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as officials race against the clock to secure a new trade deal before new 50-per-cent tariffs take effect Wednesday.
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tariffs → meet → effect
The duties will impact roughly $28 billion worth of Canadian exports, including 20 per cent of sales at Richmond Plywood, where they produce a lot of high-end product.
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they → impact → product
“A 50 per cent tariff is not a margin we can absorb, nor is it something U.S. customers will be willing to pay,” Bhavjit Thandi, CFO of Richmond Plywood, said.
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Thandi → absorb → Plywood
Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Newfoundland on Monday and says he expects to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump before Wednesday’s deadline
He wasn’t saying much else.
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He → say → much
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“We’ll have opportunities over the next 48 hours to discuss that in more detail as the negotiations go forward; I think that’s the best forum,” he said.
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he → get → detail
David Eby’s government wasn’t commenting on the trade talks Monday.
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government → comment → talks
They don’t have much of a line of sight into what’s going on in Washington, but if those new tariffs are imposed, B.C. will feel the pain.
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B.C. → have → pain
“Our estimate is that B.C. has about 13 per cent in terms of the U.S. share of those exports that take a hit and this is a little bit higher than Ontario and Quebec,” Brian Yu, associate vice president and chief economist with Central 1 Credit Union, said.
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Yu → have → Union
So far, the premier is reluctant to make any concessions such as returning U.S. alcohol to B.C. shelves without tariff relief for key industries such as forestry.
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premier → make → forestry
But sources told Global News the Americans have not been interested in discussing softwood lumber.
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Americans → tell → lumber
“The softwood lumber sector is bigger than auto parts and steel combined in terms of the Canadian economy and it needs to be front and centre at the table,” Eby said on Friday.
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Eby → combine → Friday
Despite the impasse, there’s hope the new 50-per-cent U.S. tariffs will be delayed or scrapped, but for businesses watching as the deadline nears, negotiators are cutting it awfully close for comfort.
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negotiators → ’ → comfort
