‘A big hit’: How Trump’s 25% tariff would impact this Sask. business

Laurie Tonita runs a company that sells supplies to Canadian farriers. (Laura Woodward/CTV News)

A Saskatchewan business owner is concerned about a potential trade war with the United States.

Laurie Tonita owns Tonita Farrier Supplies Ltd. He sells horseshoes and specialized tools.

Most of his products are imported from the U.S. and sold to farriers in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.

“No other manufacturer in North America makes this stuff, so that’s the thing, there’s nowhere else to go,” Tonita told CTV News.

As U.S. President Donald Trump plans to slap a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports, Tonita is worried Canada will retaliate with tit-for-tat tariffs.

“Once this inventory is gone and I bring new inventory in, it’s going to be 25 per cent higher,” Tonita explained.

“If a box of shoes is $200 today it’s going to be $250 tomorrow ... that’s a big hit.”

The Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce opposes “broad, sweeping” tariff retaliation.

If Canada chooses to fight back, the chamber would like to see specific states and industries targeted.

“The ones that are trade-dependent on Canadian customers for their jobs and exports,” Margot Orr-Stevenson, director of issues and government relations for the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, told CTV News.

In the end, Orr-Stevenson said consumers bear the brunt of tariffs.

“People are scared, they’re apprehensive of what might happen. They’re afraid of just another thing that’s going to affect their business and their bottom line — just another thing that, they don’t want to, but would be forced to pass on to their consumers,” Orr-Stevenson told CTV News.

In a scenario where both countries impose retaliatory tariffs on imports, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce predicts the average Canadian will pay about $1,900 more a year.

If things get too expensive, Tonita worries customers won’t shoe their horses as frequently.

“Maybe they’re going to decide to shoe their horse every eight weeks, instead of every six weeks. So then the feet can grow overtop of the shoes and that’s not good for the horse,” Tonita said.

Tariffs on Canadian imports could be implemented as soon as Feb. 1.