Manitoba’s government has outlined more than $100 million in tariff supports to help local businesses deal with the fallout of Canada’s trade war with the United States.
Jobs Minister Jamie Moses says the measures include low-interest loans, wage subsidies and a four-month tax deferral.
He says the $50-million loan program is designed to help fill gaps in payroll and operating expenses and is on top of an existing $50-million loan program designed to help boost exports.
There’s also expanded loan guarantee programs for agriculture and a commitment to work directly with the province’s hard-hit honey producers to provide specific supports.
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“We continue to work by listening to manufacturers, exporters, agricultural producers and Manitobans about the rising costs, and the access to markets around the world, and the uncertainty that the tariffs have caused,” said Moses.
He says the programs are to complement and fill in gaps in the $7.5 billion in tariff supports announced by the federal government on Tuesday.
Obby Khan, leader of Manitoba’s Opposition Progressive Conservatives, says the NDP’s Friday afternoon announcement is “half-thought, half-baked” and doesn’t go far enough to help struggling businesses.
He says companies need more help like lower taxes and less regulation.
“Some of the things off the top of my head would be long-term relief, not a loan. How do we actually direct support for these businesses so that those businesses can weather this storm for however long it may be.”
The United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian exports last Saturday after trade talks fell apart. Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products starting Sept. 8.