Manitoba launches tariff hotline amid Trump trade threat

The Province of Manitoba has launched a tariff hotline for residents wondering what the impact of potential tariffs could be.

Manitoba has launched a tariff hotline as the province prepares it response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade threats.

“If you’re a business, if you’re a worker, somebody who’s wondering about what the potential impacts of tariffs could be, you can visit (the hotline),” Premier Wab Kinew said during a news conference Monday.

The hotline is available online or by calling [phone] or 1-866-626-4862.

“We’ll be there to ensure that we have quick answers to the questions that you have about what we’re looking at,” Kinew said.

He said more detailed questions from within industries such as agriculture or transportation will get answered within a day.

Trump has threatened a sweeping 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports on Feb. 1 unless Canada stems illegal border crossings and drug smuggling into the U.S.

“President Trump has changed the world, and we all have to respond,” Kinew said, while announcing an initiative to tighten up security at the border.

He said the province is adding conservation officers to border patrols, working as additional eyes and ears for RCMP.

Read More: Manitoba conservation officers patrolling U.S. border crossings to ramp up security: Kinew

“We’ve always had a strong and secure border, and now we’re showing it in a much more visible fashion,” he said.

Last week, Kinew said the province does have “contingency plans” and “quick responses” ready to go should Trump follow-through on his threat. He has said he and other Canadian premiers will visit Washington D.C. on Feb. 12 to discuss the Canada/U.S. trade relationship.