It’s hard to miss when you walk onto the floor of the manufacturing area at the JessEm Tool Company in Moncton. A giant Canadian flag hangs from the rafters of the enormous 80,000 square-foot facility. “I am a patriotic Canadian,” said owner Darrin Smith. “But I also have a family and a lot of responsibility. I don’t want to move.” The company hasn’t been hit by tariffs, but their material costs “have gone through the roof,” Smith said. “Aluminum is double the price, brass about the same. I’d say my profits are down 50 per cent, but we’re still profitable so hopefully we can stay in Canada.” But if he were to be hit with tariffs from the United States, it would be a worst-case scenario. “If they put a tariff on me, I’m done. If my products got tariffed, I’d be shut down. Then I’d have to make some quick decisions,” said Smith. Smith moved JessEm from Orilla, Ont., to Moncton five years ago. The company, which has around 70 employees, designs and manufactures woodworking tools for casual and professional woodworkers. The manufacturing floor consists of state-of-the-art machines and robotics. He’s been in business for 30 years and sells products all over the world, but 85 to 87 per cent of what is built in Moncton goes to the United States, by far their biggest customer. In a social media post sent Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged all Canadian companies doing business with his country to move their operations south of the border immediately, promising no tariffs. “I don’t want to move, but Trump said it’s very easy to move to the U.S. There’s a lot of States that will give you one hell of a golden handshake to move there,” said Smith. “I’ve got the best connections in West Virgina, but Ohio is a great manufacturing state and they have deep pockets. They’d make the move pretty easy financially.” His kids mostly run the business now and Smith has been approached about selling it during this turbulent time. The current trade war and the way Canada is handling it bothers him greatly. “They’ve always been our best friends and I talk to people all the time now who hate America. It’s just one man, it’s business. Maybe you don’t like his mannerisms, who cares?” said Smith. He realizes it may not be the most popular opinion, especially right now, but he’s not a big fan of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach to the trade war with America. “I think elbows up is pretty silly to be honest with you,” he said. Smith is 59 years old and is in the process of building his dream home along with his family on a large parcel of land just outside Moncton. His eighth grandchild is on the way. Originally from Ontario and Newfoundland before that, Smith’s roots are here now. “I’ll get a lot of flak for it, but I like Americans and I like America. I’m not changing for anybody, but I really don’t want to leave. I’m a patriotic Canadian and I don’t want to leave,” he said. “I don’t think we should be picking a fight with them though. I don’t know if it’s a fight we can win, but we’ll find out.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
