As Canada waits to see whether U.S. President Donald Trump will follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs, Toronto restaurants are already taking steps to limit their reliance on U.S. products.
Over the past few weeks, more and more business across the country have vowed to prioritize Canadian goods over U.S. alternatives as Trump’s administration continues to deliberate over the specific of the tariffs, and with the deadline just a few hours away, some officials suggest that the final decision is still very much up in the air.
On Monday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNN that he would be discussing the looming tariffs with Trump throughout the day. “He’s going to decide today,” Lutnick said. “We are going to put it out tomorrow.”
The tariffs, initially announced as a 25 per cent levy on Canadian goods, had been delayed for a month after Canada vowed to implement new border security measures, which included the appointment of a new fentanyl czar.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who is fresh off his third election victory, echoed the uncertainty surrounding the situation at a mining conference in Toronto today.
“We don’t know what’s coming tomorrow. I’m not even sure President Trump knows what’s coming tomorrow,” he said. “We have to be prepared for anything and everything. We need to match President Trump tariff by tariff, dollar by dollar.”
As the threat of tariffs looms, some Toronto restaurants have started to make significant changes to their menus, including Gram’s Pizza, located at 1640 Dupont St. The pizzeria has vowed to prioritize local ingredients over U.S.-sourced products, including Canadian pop, flour, and pepperoni.
Other restaurants, including Madison Avenue Pub and Paupers Pub, are following suit, and removing U.S.-sourced products and ingredients from their menus.
Chris Haslett, Director of Food and Beverage at the pubs, shared his frustration with the ongoing tariff threats, and has ultimately decided to replace U.S. ingredients, products, and alcohol at the two locations with Canadian alternatives.
“The Americans keep threatening us with all kinds of tariffs and enough is enough,” he told blogTO. “We need to, as Canadians, band together and start buying Canadian products as much as possible. We have to support our own economy.”
The pubs have already begun implementing the change, by cutting certain alcoholic beverages like bourbon from their menus. “People will adapt, and I think people are getting tired of the back and forth bullying from the United States,” Haslett said.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs, the pubs are committed to the change, regardless of Trump’s final decision.
“I believe in this so strongly that I’ve cancelled two trips I’ve got to the United States because I won’t go down again. I’m not going to give them any income,” Haslett said, noting that the pub’s stance has been met with support from his staff and no pushback from customers.
“The United States doing this has wakened up Canada to open its eyes and say enough’s enough,” he said. “I just want Canadians to look hard at what they’re buying. If we do that, we will grow and won’t have to support someone else’s economy.”
After the tariffs were postponed last month, Trump issued an executive order that said the tariffs will be “paused and will not take effect until March 4, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time.”
However, there’s no guarantee that the tariffs on Canada will actually be 25 per cent as originally promised by Trump. Lutnick told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that “it’s a fluid situation,” adding that the exact amount will be left up to Trump and his team to negotiate.
