Kamloops chamber holding Friday town hall to discuss Trump tariffs

“You may have questions about what this means for you and how to prepare. That’s why we’re bringing together experts, resources and advocacy efforts to support Kamloops businesses during this uncertain time. “

The chamber says Friday’s town hall, which gets underway at 8:30 a.m. in the chamber boardroom at 615B Victoria St. downtown, will also include information on what the chamber network is doing to support businesses and a roundtable discussion.

“This is your opportunity to ask questions, share concerns and provide insights on how your business could be affected,” the statement said. “The chamber will take this feedback directly to elected officials in our upcoming meetings.”

The federal government has promised to respond with its own 25 per cent retaliatory tariff on American goods. It says its counter-tariffs would impact $30 billion worth of goods starting the day the U.S. tariffs kick in, while “sweeping tariffs” on $125 billion worth of American products will take effect three weeks later.

“Businesses on both sides of the border have already been damaged by the uncertainty coming from President Trump’s drip-drip-drip of tariff threats,” Matthew Holmes, an executive vice-president at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said Monday.

“We have no reason to expect this will change any time soon. Whether it’s tomorrow, next week or in April, there has already been damage to the relationship and to our economies.”

Holmes also said while the economic partnership between the two countries is “the envy of the world,” there is a “long road back to Canada and the U.S. being trusted economic partners again.”

“Businesses can’t just switch their whole model to avoid tariffs and then go back again, depending on what politicians decide on any given day,” he said. “Every day without tariffs is $3.6 billion in economic wins. But every day with tariff threats makes us weaker as allies.”

You can find more information about the Kamloops town hall and register here.

by Victor Kaisar

Kamloops chamber holding Friday town hall to discuss Trump tariffs

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