WCIT Statement on Escalating U.S.–Canada Trade War

For Immediate Release  ·  August 24, 2026

SEATTLE — Following the collapse of U.S.–Canada trade negotiations and the imposition of 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods, WCIT President Lori Otto Punke issued the following statement:

“Canada is one of our region’s largest export markets — nearly $11 billion in goods from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho last year alone — and trade with Canada and Mexico supports roughly 560,000 jobs across the three states.

“A 50% tariff imposed outside the USMCA framework raises costs immediately for Northwest employers and families, and Canada’s announced retaliation on September 8 will hit our exporters directly. We have already watched American wine sales to Canada fall by roughly 80%. Our members cannot plan, invest, or hire against this kind of volatility.

“Canada is not a rival to be worn down. It is our closest economic partner, our neighbor, and a market built over decades of shared rules and shared prosperity. Rebuilding that trust will take far longer than dismantling it has. WCIT urges the administration to return to the negotiating table and to work with Canada toward a durable agreement.”

— Lori Otto Punke, President, WCIT

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