Montreal business community still preparing for possible tariffs despite delay

In downtown Montreal, hundreds of business leaders gathered for lunch, with a side of tariff talk.

Trump’s tariffs were slated to start today, but an eleventh hour deal with Canada delayed the deadline by 30 days.

“This is not a time to take champagne and say we won against Trump,” says John Parisella, a business outreach senior advisor at National Public Relations.

Businesses are feeling uncertain says the CEO of the city’s chamber of commerce, Michel Leblanc.

They’re worried about whether they’ll have access to the U.S. market.

“Then the second thing they’re telling me is, we don’t know anymore whether we’ll invest in having more capacity here,” he adds.

They’re hoping for a longer delay, and so is the federal government, says the event’s guest of honour, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

She says it’ll depend on successfully implementing the $1.3 billion dollar border policy and adding resources to stop the flow of fentanyl.

“Black Hawk helicopters are already patrolling the border. We already have drones that have been bought that are patrolling the border.”

Joly adds Canada will also use this reprieve to strengthen its relationships with Mexico, Europe and Asian allies.

With plates wiped clean and concerns aired, the message was clear: Montreal’s business community is bracing for impact.