MONTREAL – The head of a business group says Quebec’s Beauce region is in a “state of shock” following U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Canadian imports.
Hélène Latulippe of the Conseil économique de Beauce says the region has more than 500 manufacturing companies, some of whom depend on the United States for up to 90 per cent of their business.
Some businesses have already seen their sales decline in recent weeks due to the uncertainty around tariffs, which went into effect Tuesday and include a 25 per cent across-the-board levy on goods — except for vehicles, which received a one-month pause.
The region south of Quebec City is known as a hub for business, and Latulippe says its industries include maple syrup, steel, wood and wood products, plastic and heavy equipment.
Pascal Jacques, a maple syrup producer in the region, says he’s already decided to delay a planned investment to expand his third-generation business, Une troisième coulee.
While he hasn’t felt the impact of tariffs yet, he says Quebec producers exported nearly half a billion dollars worth of maple syrup to the United States last year alone.
Latulippe says there’s no easy way for many of the local companies to quickly pivot to other markets, and says the region stands to lose thousands of jobs if the tariffs aren’t reduced or removed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2025.
