While the president of the United States, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, impose pronounced tariff Urgent need for more homes.
“I am alive with concern. The government is alive with concern. The list of retaliation measures is alive to that concern,” said Erskine-Smith in an interview about CBC’s The house.
Canada is looking at the barrel of a commercial war with the United States, which could begin at the beginning of next month. TO 25 percent rate In most Canadian and Mexican goods they stopped until March 4.
The Federal Government has promised to impose on the contrary if Trump follows its threats. In February, published a list of American goods It would be directed in a counterattack, including kitchen and bathroom appliances and plastic construction materials.
Erskine-Smith told the presenter Catherine Cullen that Canada’s main challenge is to defend Trump’s rates. The following biggest challenge, in your opinion, is to build as many homes as possible.
An imminent commercial war with the United States has caused uncertainty in the BC real estate market. Industry leaders say that construction costs for new developments are already very high and retaliation rates on US materials would boost them even more. Jon Hernández de CBC explains how he could delay future housing projects.
“These challenges disagree with each other, because as we see greater uncertainty due to tariffs, since we see cost increases in certain materials, housing construction prices are going to rise. And we need exactly the opposite “,” He said.
In Declaration of early this month Condemning Trump’s rates, the Canadian Housing Constructors Association (CHBA) said that counter-arts on construction products and materials “would be harmful to an industry that is already fighting in many parts of Canada.”
‘A quite large cloud’: developer
Brad Carr, CEO of the Mattamy Homes Canada housing construction giant, said he fears the impact of tariffs on the Canadian economy in general. He added that the uncertainty about the imminent commercial war “is creating a fairly large cloud over the housing space at this time.”
If the cost of building houses increases, driven by higher prices by imported items from the US as appliances or plumbing accessories, Carr said his company “would have to pass them to the buyer.”
“We have many interested parties to which we need to attend: investors, bankers … so those costs cannot be absorbed, particularly at a time when housing is already under a lot of pressure.”
Carr said his company would try to find new suppliers and look for other forms “to maintain low costs as much as possible.”
The Chba said that Canadian importers in the residential supply chain would need to analyze alternatives to US goods after Canada levels their counter-tarifas.
“This will take time, and the products will still be more expensive than US products before tariffs, although they can be less than 25 percent,” said the Chba in his statement.
Carr said that Canada is in “a real time of uncertainty” with “lots to solve and, hopefully, to solve long before it happens.
“The first help I would ask for is to solve the commercial war,” Carr said. “But it is probably a great question.”
