Monarch Discusses the Escalating Trade War Between the US and Canada With Spectrum News and WGRZ

August 28, 2026

Spectrum News,WGRZ

Ryan Monarch

Economics Department

Trade, Development, and Political Economy Working Group

Canada

Government

Tariffs

Trade

United States

Spectrum News

WGRZ

Ryan Monarch

After U.S.-Canada trade talks failed, the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on over $20 billion in Canadian goods, prompting threats of retaliation from Canada effective Sept. 8. Economists, contractors, and farmers say the resulting uncertainty—more than the tariffs' direct cost—is hurting business planning and raising costs on both sides of the border.

“The U.S. is a very important source for Canadian exports and Canada is one of many sources of imports for the United States,” Ryan Monarch, associate professor of economics, tells Spectrum News.

Despite the imbalance, Monarch says people in both the U.S. and Canada are sure to feel the impact.

“You’re going to have businesses on both sides of the border that are dealing with higher costs and more uncertainty, both of which are not sort of conducive to good business and to providing products to consumers at their sort of most efficient prices,” Monarch says.

In the WGRZ article, “Tough Tariff Talk Between U.S. & Canadian Officials on Both Sides of Border,” Monarch says, “The U.S. automobile manufacturing industry is lobbying very hard to try to get rid of these tariffs. They think it is disrupting their supply chains. It's adding costs.”