Lethbridge is in the top 10 major cities in Canada that will be exposed to U.S. tariffs according to a report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Data Lab.
The data lab information released Tuesday looked at how a 25 per cent tariff would impact the 41 major cities in Canada and which cities would be most impacted. Lethbridge finished 10th out of the 41 cities examined, with over $2 billion exported annually, with 91.7 per cent of all goods exported from the area going to the United States, equal to 19.4 per cent of the city’s GDP. A larger portion of 178 exporters in the region that ship goods to the U.S. are for agricultural exports including wheat, canola and beef.
Chief Economist with the Canadian Chamber Stephen Tapp explains in the report the two countries have a “highly integrated and mutually-beneficial economic relationship over more than a century” that includes cross-border trade which critically impacts both economies.
“Our updated modelling suggests that [President Donald] Trump’s tariff would cause significant economic problems for Canadians and Americans — potentially even causing a recession,” Tapp said. “This work revealed particular vulnerabilities for Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. This is because these provinces are highly trade-intensive and the vast majority of their exports go to the U.S. market.”
Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer were also among the 41 Canadian municipalities included in this study. According to the data Calgary sees the second highest vulnerability to tariffs, being a “a major hub that exports crude oil and natural gas to the U.S. Midwest, particularly Illinois.” Edmonton finished 24th out of the 41 cities included with Red Deer finishing 21st.
The full report can be found on the Canadian Chamber’s website.
