B.C. businesses lay off staff, in chaos whether Trump tariffs happen or not: CEO [Video]

Vancouver’s business community is already feeling the uncertainty and the threat from U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, whether they are coming in March or April.

Trump, who spoke to the media during the first meeting of his newly-appointed cabinet, was asked if he would consider pausing or stopping the tariffs given the border security measures recently put in place by both of the U.S.’s neighbours.

“I’m not stopping the tariffs,” Trump told reporters, adding that he was concerned about the fentanyl crisis facing the United States.

However, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was also present at the meeting, clarified that Trump was talking about two separate sets of tariffs.

The first is the fentanyl-related 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which are set to hit on March 4. The second set of tariffs are reciprocal tariffs on all of America’s trading partners, which Trump said will go into effect on April 2.

“Even the uncertainty and the threat of …