Central Alberta voices weigh in on Canada-U.S. trade dispute
Business and civic leaders in the Red Deer area describe rising costs and cautious optimism as the Canada-U.S. trade standoff continues.
Why it matters
The trade dispute is directly raising costs for central Alberta businesses and consumers, from auto parts to small business operations.
Rdnewsnow gathered reaction from four Red Deer-area figures on the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade dispute, including auto dealer Darren Gagnon, Red Deer District Chamber CEO Frank Creasey, Mayor Cindy Jefferies and Gull Lake Honey Company co-owner Lorne Prins.
Gagnon, CEO of L.A.N.D. Automotive Group which includes Lacombe Ford, said U.S. tariffs combined with pandemic-era supply chain problems and Middle East turmoil have pushed auto parts costs up 9 to 12 per cent over the past 18 months, with oil costs expected to rise further. He said commercial buyers are still investing in work trucks but doing so cautiously. Gagnon noted Ford's continued Canadian production, including a $5 billion investment in Super Duty trucks in Oakville and expanded tech centres in Ontario, insulates the brand from Canadian tariffs and reflects resilience he believes Canadian consumers are noticing.
Frank Creasey, CEO of the Red Deer District Chamber, said his office is collecting feedback from local businesses on how the trade war is affecting them, passing that information to the Alberta and Canadian Chambers of Commerce. He supported Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to temporarily step back from negotiations last week, saying businesses need stability rather than repeated bad deals. Creasey said he would like to see greater federal focus on small and mid-sized companies and called the recently announced $7.5 billion Regional Tariff Response Initiative a positive step, adding that upcoming surveys will help gather business input for ongoing negotiations.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.