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Associated Press
19-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Qualtrics Report: Executives are Hesitant to Lead in AI Transformation, Putting Up to $1.3 Trillion at Risk
AI creates estimated $860 billion opportunity in customer experience; market leaders prioritize improving customer experience and could extend their lead with AI Industries expected to see the biggest gains are business and professional services, consumer retail, and retail banking QUALTRICS X4, SALT LAKE CITY, March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from Qualtrics reveals a majority of senior executives are reluctant to lead their industry in AI adoption - a reality that could see many organizations miss out on their share of a trillion dollar opportunity while early adopters get rewarded with exponential gains. Findings from the Qualtrics report reveal organizations across a range of industries stand to gain an estimated $860 billion in annual revenue and cost savings - a figure which could rise to $1.3 trillion - by using AI to improve the experiences they deliver to customers. While three-quarters (72%) of executives say AI will significantly change how they approach customer experience over the next three years, few executives are willing to lead the charge. Only 15% of executives aspire to be at the forefront of how AI changes the business landscape. Organizations investing in customer experience are already gaining market share that could prove significant. Market leaders1 are more than twice as likely to have made improving experiences a greater priority over the past three years compared with their peers. These leaders can further separate themselves by adopting and integrating AI in how they deliver customer experiences today. Organizations that don't risk falling further behind. 'Companies that deliver great experiences build deeper relationships with their customers, and AI is transforming these interactions, going beyond measuring experiences to closing the loop with customers in the moment to make every connection count,' said Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin. 'Qualtrics AI is already helping organizations respond and deliver personalized, proactive and empathetic experiences that increase loyalty, boost employee engagement, and drive greater business insights and opportunities.' Using AI to improve customer experience is a multi-billion dollar opportunity for every industry The $860 billion value from powering customer experience with AI comes from three primary areas. Increased productivity, such as by automating routine tasks, contributes an estimated $420 billion, accelerated topline growth adds $260 billion, and streamlined processes, such as automatically solving customer issues, save organizations $180 billion annually. At an industry level, the largest gains are in business and professional services ($150 billion), consumer retail and retail banking (both $100 billion), commercial insurance ($70 billion), and small business banking, clinical care, and hotels (all $60 billion). Beyond business value, executives expect AI to directly enhance customer experiences. They anticipate it will have the greatest impact on improving product quality and delivery (45%), enhancing customer support (44%), personalizing experiences and enabling more empathy in engagements (both 39%). Effectively implementing AI requires a cross-organizational approach with centralized leadership Almost half of executives (42%) expect to see a significant measurable impact within two years from using AI to improve experiences. An additional 42% expect to see impact in three to five years. For executives wanting to accelerate their AI efforts, the key to a successful rollout is having an organization-wide strategy under centralized leadership, rather than running disparate programs. However, while 89% of executives report having at least one AI initiative underway, just 12% of executives have this strategy. Market leaders stand out again in this respect: they are 2.3 times more likely to take this path compared with more stagnant companies. Key actions to realize the value of AI in customer experience To overcome this challenge, the report identifies seven key actions organizations must take. Set AI ambition and value strategy to decide where to invest in AI. Establish risk and ethics guidelines for responsible and compliant AI use. Create the technology and data foundation to evolve and grow with AI technology. Design AI organization and governance team to oversee company-wide implementation. Launch high-impact priority use cases to build momentum for expanded implementation. Develop the talent strategy with employee training. Lead the cultural shift of embracing AI as a core enabler of customer experience. The full report is available at including case studies and a framework for the necessary capabilities to implement AI-enabled customer experience. Download it here. Qualtrics wishes to thank the organizations whose input and analysis helped inform this report, including McKinsey & Company. Qualtrics redefines the future of Experience Management with Experience Agents This week, Qualtrics announced Experience Agents: highly specialized AI agents that autonomously deliver exceptional customer and employee experiences at scale across every channel and interaction. Experience Agents will interact directly with customers and employees to deliver personalized, proactive and empathetic interactions that increase loyalty, boost employee engagement, and drive business insights and opportunities. They scale across every channel and touchpoint, respond in-the-moment to fix or improve experiences, and track market trends to pursue strategic opportunities. Qualtrics also announced new capabilities in the XM® for Customer Experience suite that allow businesses to bring together structured and unstructured feedback across every channel to create a complete view of their customer experience; get instant access to customer feedback, competitor insights, and industry benchmarks to take quick and targeted action; and equip frontline teams with real-time insights, support, and recommendations to improve experiences in the moment. These new capabilities give organizations the omnichannel insights they need to win in the era of agentic AI. Methodology The executive data for this report comes from a global executive study conducted by Qualtrics XM Institute in the fourth quarter of 2024. Using an online survey, XM Institute collected data from 1,501 executives from companies with 1,000 or more employees. The surveyed executives who work at companies headquartered in either Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK, or the US (300/country). Respondents were screened to include positions VP-level and above. AI opportunity estimates are based on McKinsey research on AI experience to value. About Qualtrics Qualtrics is trusted by thousands of the world's best organizations to power exceptional customer and employee experiences that build deep human connections, increase customer loyalty, boost employee engagement, and drive business success. Our advanced AI and specialized Experience Agents allow businesses and governments to proactively interact with customers and employees in personalized ways across every channel and touchpoint, respond in-the-moment to fix or improve experiences, and stay across the latest market trends and opportunities.
CNN
06-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
Canadians in crosshairs of trade war call Trump's tariffs a ‘bad dream'
Karim Walji is certain he is about to lose business. Worried he may have to shrink his workforce — fire people — for the first time in eight years. He blames President Donald Trump and what Walji sees as a reckless power trip. 'He wants the US to flex their muscle,' said Walji, a partner in AI Industries, a steel fabricating plant in western Canada. 'He wants to show that the US is strong and, 'Because I am bigger than you are, I can bully you around, and this is how I am going to do it.'' Last week, AI Industries was a shining example of one of the world's most remarkable and lucrative trade relationships; US-Canada trade totals just shy of $800 billion annually. This week, it is a casualty in Trump's new trade war: Almost all goods coming from Mexico and Canada are subject to a 25% tariff, while goods coming from China are subject to a 20% tariff. All of this is likely to result in slower economic growth and higher costs for consumers. The British Columbia visit was the first international foray for our All Over The Map project, which is shifting from its initial focus on the 2024 campaign to the impact of the new administration's policy agenda. AI Industries is just one example of the economic and human consequences, both at home and abroad, of Trump's moves to reshape America's key trade relationships. 'We essentially are not competitive in the US anymore, so our business model in the US is gone,' Walji said in an interview. 'About 75 percent of our work right now is actually US-based. We do projects in Washington state, Alaska, the odd job in Hawaii. That market is essentially shut down for us.' We visited a few days before the Trump tariffs took effect, and the plant was humming. Giant steel beams on one belt were moved into position for custom cuts and drill holes. On another, a worker welded angled braces. In the yard, beams were tagged and stacked neatly: American steel, shipped across the border by rail for custom fabrication. Some of it for a new high-rise in Vancouver. Some of it soon to be shipped back across the border for an office project in Alaska. Now, Walji said, everything will change. Trump on Wednesday said he would delay tariffs on automobiles from Canada and Mexico for a month. But the tariffs on other Canadian products are now in place. 'A killer,' is how Walji described them. Canada said it has no choice but to impose retaliatory tariffs. So, Walji said, Canadian builders will look for alternatives to US steel. And Walji is likely to lose many of his American customers, if they have to pay tariffs when the steel passes back into the United States each time the steel crosses the border. 'We've got to find other markets, otherwise they lose their jobs,' Walji said of his 100 workers. 'Here in BC, the market isn't big enough to support a company like ours.'Walji has no doubt American families will pay, too. 'Inflation, costs going up,' he said. 'Your infrastructure projects — schools, highways, hospitals, office buildings — all of these are construction items. All these things will go up in price.' American companies will suffer too, Walji said. Speciality steel fabrication requires enormous, expensive machines. 'Made in the USA' is on almost all of the big cutters and drillers at AI Industries. The machines range in price from $400,000 to nearly $1 million, and Walji said several are due to be replaced. But with Canada's retaliatory tariffs in place, he said he would purchase new machines from Europe — not from the Illinois company that has been his supplier for years. It is not just that Canadians believe Trump is practicing bad economics — bad math. They are also offended by his bad manners; constant references to Canada as the 51st state and its prime minister as 'governor.' 'I find it very insulting,' Walji said. 'It's disrespectful.' British Columbia is a living postcard, with scenic mountains and farmlands and gorgeous waterways. The importance of trade is just about everywhere you look. Canadian lumber stacked and wrapped at river's edge waiting to be shipped. Rail yards filled with cars carrying Canadian crude oil and farm products and more. Truck after truck heading to and from the docks and rail yards. 'If you watch for eight hours, you'll see on average we've got 10 ships arriving and 10 ships leaving,' said Peter Xotta, the CEO of the Port of Vancouver. 'We did about 160 million tons of cargo last year. Seventy-five percent of that is those bulk commodities. Grain, coal, potash, sulfur and other agricultural products.' Xotta said a protracted trade war would be devastating. 'The economic activity here is very dependent on north-south trade,' he said. But he also said Trump's tariffs and tone had Canada rethinking things. 'It's been a wakeup call for Canadians that we need to figure out a way to be not as dependent,' he said. Vikram Vinayak likens it to a bad dream. Vinayak is a father of two, an immigrant who came to Canada in 2019 to be with his wife and start a family. He loves his job as short haul truck driver, but says he has no choice but to look for a new one. Right now, he has as many as five runs a day and works 40 to 50 hours a week. But between 80 percent and 90 percent of his shipments are headed to the United States. With the new tariffs, 'the number of loads will decrease, and my hours will also decrease.' He sometimes heads to Seattle to shop, and the family took a Las Vegas vacation last year. But 'nowadays because of the tariffs everything is getting intense. I can't think of going anywhere.' Darryl Lamb is the brand manager at Legacy Liquor Store. Suddenly he's in the crosshairs of a trade war. In addition to the Canadian government's reciprocal tariffs, the premier of British Columbia is taking additional steps to show displeasure with Trump. The province is banning sales of American alcohol brands from states Trump won in 2024 that also have Republican governors. So Kentucky bourbon is exempt, because Gov. Andy Beshear is a Democrat. But Jack Daniels and other Tennessee whiskeys would be banned. Yellow Rose Bourbon is from Texas, as are Tito's and Deep Eddy vodka. It is Lamb's job now to get them off the shelves. 'We've gone through this before with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,' Lamb said. 'We were asked to remove all Russian products from our shelves.' In the days before the tariffs kicked in, Lamb said some customers raced to stockpile American favorites before they were banned. But other customers got testy with store employees, demanding that all American products be taken off the shelves because of Trump's tariffs and insults. 'There are a lot of people that are passionate,' Lamb said. 'Canadians love their country, you know, and when you hear 'governor' and '51st state' and all this stuff.' He urges angry customers to stay calm, or to write their member of parliament. But he understands their anger with Trump and his not-so-neighborly broadsides. 'We've been together for a long time,' Lamb said. 'We fought wars together. We went to Afghanistan. We did all this stuff together. Why? What are you doing here?'
CNN
06-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
Canadians in crosshairs of trade war call Trump's tariffs a ‘bad dream'
Karim Walji is certain he is about to lose business. Worried he may have to shrink his workforce — fire people — for the first time in eight years. He blames President Donald Trump and what Walji sees as a reckless power trip. 'He wants the US to flex their muscle,' said Walji, a partner in AI Industries, a steel fabricating plant in western Canada. 'He wants to show that the US is strong and, 'Because I am bigger than you are, I can bully you around, and this is how I am going to do it.'' Last week, AI Industries was a shining example of one of the world's most remarkable and lucrative trade relationships; US-Canada trade totals just shy of $800 billion annually. This week, it is a casualty in Trump's new trade war: Almost all goods coming from Mexico and Canada are subject to a 25% tariff, while goods coming from China are subject to a 20% tariff. All of this is likely to result in slower economic growth and higher costs for consumers. The British Columbia visit was the first international foray for our All Over The Map project, which is shifting from its initial focus on the 2024 campaign to the impact of the new administration's policy agenda. AI Industries is just one example of the economic and human consequences, both at home and abroad, of Trump's moves to reshape America's key trade relationships. 'We essentially are not competitive in the US anymore, so our business model in the US is gone,' Walji said in an interview. 'About 75 percent of our work right now is actually US-based. We do projects in Washington state, Alaska, the odd job in Hawaii. That market is essentially shut down for us.' We visited a few days before the Trump tariffs took effect, and the plant was humming. Giant steel beams on one belt were moved into position for custom cuts and drill holes. On another, a worker welded angled braces. In the yard, beams were tagged and stacked neatly: American steel, shipped across the border by rail for custom fabrication. Some of it for a new high-rise in Vancouver. Some of it soon to be shipped back across the border for an office project in Alaska. Now, Walji said, everything will change. Trump on Wednesday said he would delay tariffs on automobiles from Canada and Mexico for a month. But the tariffs on other Canadian products are now in place. 'A killer,' is how Walji described them. Canada said it has no choice but to impose retaliatory tariffs. So, Walji said, Canadian builders will look for alternatives to US steel. And Walji is likely to lose many of his American customers, if they have to pay tariffs when the steel passes back into the United States each time the steel crosses the border. 'We've got to find other markets, otherwise they lose their jobs,' Walji said of his 100 workers. 'Here in BC, the market isn't big enough to support a company like ours.'Walji has no doubt American families will pay, too. 'Inflation, costs going up,' he said. 'Your infrastructure projects — schools, highways, hospitals, office buildings — all of these are construction items. All these things will go up in price.' American companies will suffer too, Walji said. Speciality steel fabrication requires enormous, expensive machines. 'Made in the USA' is on almost all of the big cutters and drillers at AI Industries. The machines range in price from $400,000 to nearly $1 million, and Walji said several are due to be replaced. But with Canada's retaliatory tariffs in place, he said he would purchase new machines from Europe — not from the Illinois company that has been his supplier for years. It is not just that Canadians believe Trump is practicing bad economics — bad math. They are also offended by his bad manners; constant references to Canada as the 51st state and its prime minister as 'governor.' 'I find it very insulting,' Walji said. 'It's disrespectful.' British Columbia is a living postcard, with scenic mountains and farmlands and gorgeous waterways. The importance of trade is just about everywhere you look. Canadian lumber stacked and wrapped at river's edge waiting to be shipped. Rail yards filled with cars carrying Canadian crude oil and farm products and more. Truck after truck heading to and from the docks and rail yards. 'If you watch for eight hours, you'll see on average we've got 10 ships arriving and 10 ships leaving,' said Peter Xotta, the CEO of the Port of Vancouver. 'We did about 160 million tons of cargo last year. Seventy-five percent of that is those bulk commodities. Grain, coal, potash, sulfur and other agricultural products.' Xotta said a protracted trade war would be devastating. 'The economic activity here is very dependent on north-south trade,' he said. But he also said Trump's tariffs and tone had Canada rethinking things. 'It's been a wakeup call for Canadians that we need to figure out a way to be not as dependent,' he said. Vikram Vinayak likens it to a bad dream. Vinayak is a father of two, an immigrant who came to Canada in 2019 to be with his wife and start a family. He loves his job as short haul truck driver, but says he has no choice but to look for a new one. Right now, he has as many as five runs a day and works 40 to 50 hours a week. But between 80 percent and 90 percent of his shipments are headed to the United States. With the new tariffs, 'the number of loads will decrease, and my hours will also decrease.' He sometimes heads to Seattle to shop, and the family took a Las Vegas vacation last year. But 'nowadays because of the tariffs everything is getting intense. I can't think of going anywhere.' Darryl Lamb is the brand manager at Legacy Liquor Store. Suddenly he's in the crosshairs of a trade war. In addition to the Canadian government's reciprocal tariffs, the premier of British Columbia is taking additional steps to show displeasure with Trump. The province is banning sales of American alcohol brands from states Trump won in 2024 that also have Republican governors. So Kentucky bourbon is exempt, because Gov. Andy Beshear is a Democrat. But Jack Daniels and other Tennessee whiskeys would be banned. Yellow Rose Bourbon is from Texas, as are Tito's and Deep Eddy vodka. It is Lamb's job now to get them off the shelves. 'We've gone through this before with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,' Lamb said. 'We were asked to remove all Russian products from our shelves.' In the days before the tariffs kicked in, Lamb said some customers raced to stockpile American favorites before they were banned. But other customers got testy with store employees, demanding that all American products be taken off the shelves because of Trump's tariffs and insults. 'There are a lot of people that are passionate,' Lamb said. 'Canadians love their country, you know, and when you hear 'governor' and '51st state' and all this stuff.' He urges angry customers to stay calm, or to write their member of parliament. But he understands their anger with Trump and his not-so-neighborly broadsides. 'We've been together for a long time,' Lamb said. 'We fought wars together. We went to Afghanistan. We did all this stuff together. Why? What are you doing here?'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canadians in crosshairs of trade war call Trump's tariffs a ‘bad dream'
Karim Walji is certain he is about to lose business. Worried he may have to shrink his workforce — fire people — for the first time in eight years. He blames President Donald Trump and what Walji sees as a reckless power trip. 'He wants the US to flex their muscle,' said Walji, a partner in AI Industries, a steel fabricating plant in western Canada. 'He wants to show that the US is strong and, 'Because I am bigger than you are, I can bully you around, and this is how I am going to do it.'' Last week, AI Industries was a shining example of one of the world's most remarkable and lucrative trade relationships; US-Canada trade totals just shy of $800 billion annually. This week, it is a casualty in Trump's new trade war: Almost all goods coming from Mexico and Canada are subject to a 25% tariff, while goods coming from China are subject to a 20% tariff. All of this is likely to result in slower economic growth and higher costs for consumers. The British Columbia visit was the first international foray for our All Over The Map project, which is shifting from its initial focus on the 2024 campaign to the impact of the new administration's policy agenda. AI Industries is just one example of the economic and human consequences, both at home and abroad, of Trump's moves to reshape America's key trade relationships. 'We essentially are not competitive in the US anymore, so our business model in the US is gone,' Walji said in an interview. 'About 75 percent of our work right now is actually US-based. We do projects in Washington state, Alaska, the odd job in Hawaii. That market is essentially shut down for us.' We visited a few days before the Trump tariffs took effect, and the plant was humming. Giant steel beams on one belt were moved into position for custom cuts and drill holes. On another, a worker welded angled braces. In the yard, beams were tagged and stacked neatly: American steel, shipped across the border by rail for custom fabrication. Some of it for a new high-rise in Vancouver. Some of it soon to be shipped back across the border for an office project in Alaska. Now, Walji said, everything will change. Trump on Wednesday said he would delay tariffs on automobiles from Canada and Mexico for a month. But the tariffs on other Canadian products are now in place. 'A killer,' is how Walji described them. Canada said it has no choice but to impose retaliatory tariffs. So, Walji said, Canadian builders will look for alternatives to US steel. And Walji is likely to lose many of his American customers, if they have to pay tariffs when the steel passes back into the United States each time the steel crosses the border. 'We've got to find other markets, otherwise they lose their jobs,' Walji said of his 100 workers. 'Here in BC, the market isn't big enough to support a company like ours.'Walji has no doubt American families will pay, too. 'Inflation, costs going up,' he said. 'Your infrastructure projects — schools, highways, hospitals, office buildings — all of these are construction items. All these things will go up in price.' American companies will suffer too, Walji said. Speciality steel fabrication requires enormous, expensive machines. 'Made in the USA' is on almost all of the big cutters and drillers at AI Industries. The machines range in price from $400,000 to nearly $1 million, and Walji said several are due to be replaced. But with Canada's retaliatory tariffs in place, he said he would purchase new machines from Europe — not from the Illinois company that has been his supplier for years. It is not just that Canadians believe Trump is practicing bad economics — bad math. They are also offended by his bad manners; constant references to Canada as the 51st state and its prime minister as 'governor.' 'I find it very insulting,' Walji said. 'It's disrespectful.' British Columbia is a living postcard, with scenic mountains and farmlands and gorgeous waterways. The importance of trade is just about everywhere you look. Canadian lumber stacked and wrapped at river's edge waiting to be shipped. Rail yards filled with cars carrying Canadian crude oil and farm products and more. Truck after truck heading to and from the docks and rail yards. 'If you watch for eight hours, you'll see on average we've got 10 ships arriving and 10 ships leaving,' said Peter Xotta, the CEO of the Port of Vancouver. 'We did about 160 million tons of cargo last year. Seventy-five percent of that is those bulk commodities. Grain, coal, potash, sulfur and other agricultural products.' Xotta said a protracted trade war would be devastating. 'The economic activity here is very dependent on north-south trade,' he said. But he also said Trump's tariffs and tone had Canada rethinking things. 'It's been a wakeup call for Canadians that we need to figure out a way to be not as dependent,' he said. Vikram Vinayak likens it to a bad dream. Vinayak is a father of two, an immigrant who came to Canada in 2019 to be with his wife and start a family. He loves his job as short haul truck driver, but says he has no choice but to look for a new one. Right now, he has as many as five runs a day and works 40 to 50 hours a week. But between 80 percent and 90 percent of his shipments are headed to the United States. With the new tariffs, 'the number of loads will decrease, and my hours will also decrease.' He sometimes heads to Seattle to shop, and the family took a Las Vegas vacation last year. But 'nowadays because of the tariffs everything is getting intense. I can't think of going anywhere.' Darryl Lamb is the brand manager at Legacy Liquor Store. Suddenly he's in the crosshairs of a trade war. In addition to the Canadian government's reciprocal tariffs, the premier of British Columbia is taking additional steps to show displeasure with Trump. The province is banning sales of American alcohol brands from states Trump won in 2024 that also have Republican governors. So Kentucky bourbon is exempt, because Gov. Andy Beshear is a Democrat. But Jack Daniels and other Tennessee whiskeys would be banned. Yellow Rose Bourbon is from Texas, as are Tito's and Deep Eddy vodka. It is Lamb's job now to get them off the shelves. 'We've gone through this before with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,' Lamb said. 'We were asked to remove all Russian products from our shelves.' In the days before the tariffs kicked in, Lamb said some customers raced to stockpile American favorites before they were banned. But other customers got testy with store employees, demanding that all American products be taken off the shelves because of Trump's tariffs and insults. 'There are a lot of people that are passionate,' Lamb said. 'Canadians love their country, you know, and when you hear 'governor' and '51st state' and all this stuff.' He urges angry customers to stay calm, or to write their member of parliament. But he understands their anger with Trump and his not-so-neighborly broadsides. 'We've been together for a long time,' Lamb said. 'We fought wars together. We went to Afghanistan. We did all this stuff together. Why? What are you doing here?'
CNN
06-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
Canadians in crosshairs of trade war call Trump's tariffs a ‘bad dream'
Karim Walji is certain he is about lose business. Worried he may have to shrink his workforce — fire people — for the first time in eight years. He blames President Donald Trump and what Walji sees as a reckless power trip. 'He wants the US to flex their muscle,' said Walji, a partner in AI Industries, a steel fabricating plant in western Canada. 'He wants to show that the US is strong and, 'Because I am bigger than you are, I can bully you around, and this is how I am going to do it.'' Last week, AI Industries was a shining example of one of the world's most remarkable and lucrative trade relationships; US-Canada trade totals just shy of $800 billion annually. This week, it is a casualty in Trump's new trade war: Almost all goods coming from Mexico and Canada are subject to a 25% tariff, while goods coming from China are subject to a 20% tariff. All of this is likely to result in slower economic growth and higher costs for consumers. The British Columbia visit was the first international foray for our All Over The Map project, which is shifting from its initial focus on the 2024 campaign to the impact of the new administration's policy agenda. AI Industries is just one example of the economic and human consequences, both at home and abroad, of Trump's moves to reshape America's key trade relationships. 'We essentially are not competitive in the US anymore, so our business model in the US is gone,' Walji said in an interview. 'About 75 percent of our work right now is actually US-based. We do projects in Washington state, Alaska, the odd job in Hawaii. That market is essentially shut down for us.' We visited a few days before the Trump tariffs took effect, and the plant was humming. Giant steel beams on one belt were moved into position for custom cuts and drill holes. On another, a worker welded angled braces. In the yard, beams were tagged and stacked neatly: American steel, shipped across the border by rail for custom fabrication. Some of it for a new high-rise in Vancouver. Some of it soon to be shipped back across the border for an office project in Alaska. Now, Walji said, everything will change. Trump on Wednesday said he would delay tariffs on automobiles from Canada and Mexico for a month. But the tariffs on other Canadian products are now in place. 'A killer,' is how Walji described them. Canada said it has no choice but to impose retaliatory tariffs. So, Walji said, Canadian builders will look for alternatives to US steel. And Walji is likely to lose many of his American customers, if they have to pay tariffs when the steel passes back into the United States each time the steel crosses the border. 'We've got to find other markets, otherwise they lose their jobs,' Walji said of his 100 workers. 'Here in BC, the market isn't big enough to support a company like ours.'Walji has no doubt American families will pay, too. 'Inflation, costs going up,' he said. 'Your infrastructure projects — schools, highways, hospitals, office buildings — all of these are construction items. All these things will go up in price.' American companies will suffer too, Walji said. Speciality steel fabrication requires enormous, expensive machines. 'Made in the USA' is on almost all of the big cutters and drillers at AI Industries. The machines range in price from $400,000 to nearly $1 million, and Walji said several are due to be replaced. But with Canada's retaliatory tariffs in place, he said he would purchase new machines from Europe — not from the Illinois company that has been his supplier for years. It is not just that Canadians believe Trump is practicing bad economics — bad math. They are also offended by his bad manners; constant references to Canada as the 51st state and its prime minister as 'governor.' 'I find it very insulting,' Walji said. 'It's disrespectful.' British Columbia is a living postcard, with scenic mountains and farmlands and gorgeous waterways. The importance of trade is just about everywhere you look. Canadian lumber stacked and wrapped at river's edge waiting to be shipped. Rail yards filled with cars carrying Canadian crude oil and farm products and more. Truck after truck heading to and from the docks and rail yards. 'If you watch for eight hours, you'll see on average we've got 10 ships arriving and 10 ships leaving,' said Peter Xotta, the CEO of the Port of Vancouver. 'We did about 160 million tons of cargo last year. Seventy-five percent of that is those bulk commodities. Grain, coal, potash, sulfur and other agricultural products.' Xotta said a protracted trade war would be devastating. 'The economic activity here is very dependent on north-south trade,' he said. But he also said Trump's tariffs and tone had Canada rethinking things. 'It's been a wakeup call for Canadians that we need to figure out a way to be not as dependent,' he said. Vikram Vinayak likens it to a bad dream. Vinayak is a father of two, an immigrant who came to Canada in 2019 to be with his wife and start a family. He loves his job as short haul truck driver, but says he has no choice but to look for a new one. Right now, he has as many as five runs a day and works 40 to 50 hours a week. But between 80 percent and 90 percent of his shipments are headed to the United States. With the new tariffs, 'the number of loads will decrease, and my hours will also decrease.' He sometimes heads to Seattle to shop, and the family took a Las Vegas vacation last year. But 'nowadays because of the tariffs everything is getting intense. I can't think of going anywhere.' Darryl Lamb is the brand manager at Legacy Liquor Store. Suddenly he's in the crosshairs of a trade war. In addition to the Canadian government's reciprocal tariffs, the premier of British Columbia is taking additional steps to show displeasure with Trump. The province is banning sales of American alcohol brands from states Trump won in 2024 that also have Republican governors. So Kentucky bourbon is exempt, because Gov. Andy Beshear is a Democrat. But Jack Daniels and other Tennessee whiskeys would be banned. Yellow Rose Bourbon is from Texas, as are Tito's and Deep Eddy vodka. It is Lamb's job now to get them off the shelves. 'We've gone through this before with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,' Lamb said. 'We were asked to remove all Russian products from our shelves.' In the days before the tariffs kicked in, Lamb said some customers raced to stockpile American favorites before they were banned. But other customers got testy with store employees, demanding that all American products be taken off the shelves because of Trump's tariffs and insults. 'There are a lot of people that are passionate,' Lamb said. 'Canadians love their country, you know, and when you hear 'governor' and '51st state' and all this stuff.' He urges angry customers to stay calm, or to write their member of parliament. But he understands their anger with Trump and his not-so-neighborly broadsides. 'We've been together for a long time,' Lamb said. 'We fought wars together. We went to Afghanistan. We did all this stuff together. Why? What are you doing here?'
