It has been four years since Natalie Villani made the move to Nova Scotia after spending her entire life living in the United States, and she has no regrets given how much things have changed in just a few years. “I moved for a reason,” she says. “Most of my family is of the same persuasion that I am, but they do still live there.” Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, the country has announced tariffs on a number of countries around the globe, including Canada. The tensions between the two countries has escalated in the past week after the two failed to reach a new trade deal before 50 per cent tariffs on roughly $28 billion worth of Canadian products was implemented by Washington. On Tuesday, Canada announced dollar-for-dollar counter tariffs on hundreds of U.S. goods in response. “Honestly, it feels like at this point we’re just getting ourselves in trouble with every country we’ve ever gotten along with for the sake of trying to make a buck,” says Massachusetts resident Allison Kunze, who along with many other Americans are in Saint John for the week for a canine agility competition. She knows there has been a shift in how the rest of the world sees their country these days, and says that change in reputation is “awful.” “I’ve done a good amount of traveling both in Europe and up to Canada, and it’s kind of just embarrassing at this point,” Kunze admits. “A lot of my friends abroad are sort of like, ‘Well, why aren’t you guys doing anything about it?’ And it’s like, well, in the moment, especially with your health care tied to your employment, it’s really a tough place to be to feel like you can actually make meaningful change in a country that is basically a capitalist nightmare at this point.” As an American citizen, Stephanie Williams says dealing with everything that comes with the tariffs talk is “incredibly frustrating and embarrassing.” “They have done a significant amount of damage to our relationship with countries all over the world, including Canada,” says Williams. “I’m sad that they exist and I think that they should be done with.” Not only do many Americans disagree with the tariffs imposed on Canada, but a number of residents say they don’t understand what they are gaining from them in the first place. Pam from Virginia studied economics in college. She says the trading partnership between Canada and the U.S. has always been beneficial for both countries and says the tariffs aren’t helping anyone on either side. She points out that, particularly in border communities, the relationship is very intertwined. “I grew up in Wisconsin, and I think of all the people in Michigan and the auto industry,” she says. “The idea that there’s no single vehicle that’s, at least in this hemisphere, that’s made all in one country. We get parts and we have assembly and everything, for decades that’s been going back and forth.” But at the end of the day, no matter if they are supporters of the tariffs or not, most Canadians and Americans just want to see a fair deal be made. Tifanny Duffy from Pennsylvania says as neighbours there is no reason not to have a strong relationship with one another. “It’s very important to be able to compromise on things, but it’s also important to make sure that the things we are asking for are actually reasonable,” she says on the negotiations. “I hope that we can figure out something that that works for both parties.”
