Saskatchewan’s Degelman Industries manufactures farm equipment at plants in Canada and North Dakota, with supplies and products moving between the two countries. The company is now assessing how new U.S. tariffs and Canadian counter-tariffs could affect its operations. Derek Molnar, Director of Marketing with Degelman Industries, says these new rounds of tariffs aren’t anything they haven’t faced before. “We’re fairly familiar with how the process works, but as we get more information on this newest round, we’re just going to have to do a little more homework so see what it impacts outside of the current ones,” he explained. Canada has announced counter-tariffs on 700 U.S. products, along with a $7.5 billion aide package for Canadians. Molnar said Degelman Industries does not believe their operations will be significantly impacted. “It doesn’t affect everything that we do. It impacts certain parts and certain materials, but a lot of our finished goods have been exempt for a while, and I don’t believe these new ones will affect much more.” Premier Scott Moe has issued a statement offering support for the federal government’s counter-tariffs. They’ll cover about $1.5 bilion, or 11%, of Saskatchewan’s annual imports from the U.S. “We are analyzing the counter-tariff list closely and working with affected industries to determine its potential impact on jobs and consumer prices, while also reviewing the federal government’s support measures,” Moe said in his statement. The premier did not indicate whether any additional support is planned for Saskatchewan businesses and workers. He did say the ultimate goal is to get back to a free and fair trade relationship with the United States.
