Dan Kelly was sitting in the car Saturday night, absorbing the news of an explosive trade war erupting between Canada and the United States, when yet another desperate email landed in his inbox. Kelly, head of a group representing small Canadian businesses, had been fielding questions left and right: what does this mean? What do we do? But the note, from a small collectible and second-hand book seller based in Toronto, was agonizing.
Upwards of 20 per cent of his sales were to American customers, the man wrote. They surely wouldn’t pay more for the product itself, especially considering shipping costs. If his products were tariffed under the new rules — though it was unclear, mere hours after the news, if they would be — he couldn’t see a way of absorbing the cost while paying the monthly fees to list his wares online. The man seemed resolved his …