EVERETT – The collapse of a U.S.-Canada trade deal is fueling frustration in Snohomish County at the inability to reach an agreement when it appeared so close to being complete last week.
“With the on-going back and forth between the U.S. and Canada, my comments might change almost hourly with this,” Daniel Tappana, Director of Economic Development at Economic Alliance Snohomish County, says regarding the fluidity of the situation.
The acrimony exhibited by U.S. President, Donald Trump, and Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, accelerated when the trade deal disintegrated as news reports indicated a final agreement was within grasp before collapsing with few specifics as to why.
Late today, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation posted this report about P.M. Carney pointing to concessions the U.S. wanted on Canadian cars, trucks, steel and aluminum exports for why he nixed the final deal.
For Tappana, the frustration is fueled by the inability to ascertain when a resolution between the U.S. and Canada will be reached. “From our perspective and what we’re hearing from businesses, is that uncertainty, which is essentially what this has been causing over the last year and a half. It makes it hard to set your business costs. Understand what your costs are going forward.”
Predictability and reliability of those economic factors influence where a business can allocate its financial resources. If tariffs add an unexpected layer of costs, businesses are reluctant to risk money in other arenas. Tappana explains with the lack of a new trade deal the U.S. will “remain in a holding pattern” of uncertainty.
“Another t-word to throw in there with tariffs is ‘trust’,” Tappana tells the EverettPost.com. With frustration in his voice, Tappana says, “Tariffs can be taken away at the posting of a tweet but trust takes years to build. And when we’re kind of attacking our neighbors, its been pretty tough to maintain that trust.“
Tappana’s preference with international trade: be boring.
“It seems that the U.S.-Canadian relations—one thing I’ve heard quite a bit in the past is its good for that to be boring,” he explains from the standpoint of removing the drama or the personalities from the trade negotiations. “And I’m hopeful we can get back to more boring trade ties in the sense of we don’t just what we’re doing today is the opposite of what I think we should be doing.”
Tappana invites local businesses to sound off to Economic Alliance with their real world impacts from the trade battle and dueling tariffs. “Just understanding how businesses across Snohomish County are being affected. If it causes a reduction in workforce or loss in revenue that’s information that Economic Alliance would like to learn more about so we can share it with our federal officials so that they can help advocate for our local community.”
The real-world stories from business owners on the front line of the economy could build momentum for negotiations to resume and potentially delay tariff enforcement as Pres. Trump has delayed tariff fees in the past. Just last week, Trump agreed to delay tariffs on Canadian imports as the negotiators were inching close to a deal, albeit the same deal that evaporated a few days later. “I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!” Trump posted on social media one week ago.
Business owners can contact Economic Alliance of Snohomish County at 425-743-4567 or [email protected] .