Consul General of Canada States That Seventy-Nine Percent of Exports Go to Canada from North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) –President Trump stated on Saturday that he would be putting down a twenty-five percent increase of tariffs including an additional ten percent on Canadian oil, natural gas, and electricity. In response, Canada had countered on Sunday with a list of U.S. goods they would be imposing 25% tariffs.

The release stated, “These countermeasures are effective immediately and will remain in place until the U.S. eliminates its tariffs against Canada..”

Canada’s Prime Minister and President Trump spoke again and decided the tariffs would be paused for thirty days on both sides.

“We believe we’ve responded to President Trump’s concerns and we see the suspension of tariffs is an indication that he has confidence that once the border plan is fully implemented, as it’s being done now, that will further reduce our traffic,” said Beth Richardson, Consul General of Canada in Minneapolis.

North Dakota is one of the many states that depend on the relationship between Canada for goods. According to Richardson, seventy-nine percent of exports go to Canada from North Dakota about $6 billion a year.

“One of North Dakota’s big imports from Canada is agricultural machinery. So those are used to generate crops in North Dakota that are subsequently sold back to Canada for food and food processing. It’s really unique relationship that has allowed us to leverage each of our competitive advantages on both sides of the border,” said Richardson.

Richardson says she believes they will be able to get past the tariff increase and hopefully continue their exports.

Richardson says the Canadian government will add more boots to the ground at the border in the coming days.