91Ô­´´ businesses that export goods to the United States are worried about the impact of potential tariffs, following president-elect Donald Trump's promise of 25 per cent tariffs on all goods imported from Canada.

On Monday, Nov. 25, Trump used his Truth Social account to declare he would slap the high tariffs on good from Canada and Mexico until undocumented immigrants and fentanyl stopped coming over U.S. borders.

"Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!"

During the presidential election, Trump had frequently praised tariffs, often saying he would impose tariffs of between 10 and 20 per cent on goods from all countries entering the U.S., along with tariffs of 60 per cent or more on goods from China.

The threat of tariffs imposed on the first day of his presidency – Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20 – has caused anxiety and concern for local business owners, said Cory Redekop, CEO of the Greater 91Ô­´´ Chamber of Commerce.

"You don't know what's a legitimate threat, you don't know what's a negotiating tactic, you don't know what's a social media tactic," he said.

He was pleased to see an immediate federal response from Ottawa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump shortly after the tariff promise, and later in the week a virtual first ministers meeting between the PM and all the country's premiers was scheduled to discuss the issue.

Canada sends everything from oil and wood to machine parts to the U.S., and under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the successor to NAFTA, and many goods have no tariffs whatsoever when exported.

Locally, Redekop noted that 91Ô­´´ exports a lot of food and some finished products south of the border, and this tariff would hit those exporters immediately.

There are also cross-border firms that do manufacturing both here and in the U.S.

High tariffs would provide an incentive for them to invest more on the American side of the border.

"Which means less and less opportunities and jobs in Canada," Redekop said.

If the tariffs are implemented, Canada is expected to retaliate by imposing its own tariffs and duties, which would in turn raise the price of imported items bought by local consumers.

The B.C. and Canadian Chambers of Commerce also issued statements about the possible severity of tariffs.

On Friday, Nov. 29, Trudeau visited Trump at the president-elect's Mar A Lago estate in Florida to discuss trade and border issues.

The two leaders talked about trade and border issues, but there was reportedly no official pledge by Trump to not put in place the tariffs.