Tariffs and talk of annexation. Northern Ontario braces for Trump's inauguration

Ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president, a mining supply company based in Sudbury says it's preparing for his promised tariffs on Canadian exports.

Leading up to his inauguration, Trump has said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian exports to the United States.

"This is not a fire drill. This is coming," said Tas Mohamed, the CEO of Railveyor Technologies, a company that designs and builds automated rail systems to haul ore from mines.

As soon as Trump was named the Republican nominee in the presidential race, Mohamed said she took action to reduce the potential impact of tariffs on her business.

"When we knew Trump was running for office, we had heard his campaign and so we were aware this was possibly coming," Mohamed said.

"We then decided that we would start looking, or diversifying our business sectors outside of the U.S."

The U.S. market represents 25 to 30 per cent of Railveyor's revenues, she said.

In the lead-up to the Trump presidency, Mohamed said she has also been in talks with U.S. vendors to bypass any future tariffs when selling to American customers.

Mohamed said the federal and provincial governments should also take steps to help Canadian companies like hers that will be affected by tariffs.

"Maybe short term tariff relief," she said.

"It may help us while they continue negotiations. Give us a little bit of a three- to four-month breathing room."

Damon Lieurance, a business owner in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., just across the Ontario border, says he views Trump's tariff threats as a negotiation tactic.

"You negotiate starting from nth degree and you come to a common point," said Lieurance, a registered Republican and a commissioner for Chippewa County.

"You might as well start with the most extreme proposal and then work your way back."

Annexation talk 

Janice Liedl, a history professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury, who is originally from Indiana, said she was shocked by Trump's suggestions that Canada should become the 51st state.

"After having lived in Canada for 30 years, I feel I appreciate the differences. And a lot of Americans don't really recognize them except when it comes to, say, climate and food styles," she said.

"But there are a lot of things that separate Canada from the U.S. and that's going to complicate any kind of off-the-cuff plan to annex Canada."

Dean Sayers, an elder at Batchewana First Nation, said talk of annexation also doesn't take into account Canada's treaties with First Nations.

"In this particular area, the Robinson Huron Treaty, we retain the underlying title. So these lands here are provided to Canadians based on an agreement with us retaining the underlying title," Sayers said.

"And when we say we retain the underlying title, that means that if the treaty fails the land reverts back to us, not to Canada."