'Half my business will be gone' - Firms in Canada and US fear trade war

Most of Cindy Baldassi's US sales will be wiped out, she says Cindy Baldassi relies on American buyers to keep her stone-and-glass jewellery company going. Some 75% of sales of pieces including amethyst, sea glass and agates from her business, CindyLouWho2, based in Calgary, Alberta, come from Americans. But after trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed over the weekend and leaders of both countries pledged to slap 50% tariffs on each other's products, business owners on both sides of the border are bracing for the fallout. With a majority of the items she sells falling under US President Donald Trump's newly imposed tariffs, Baldassi says she will need to add 50% to the price of most of her products to stay afloat. "It's quite likely that it will wipe out most of my US sales," Baldassi told the BBC. "I expect that at least half of my business will be gone." Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged levies starting on 8 September on US steel, dairy, appliances and electronics.

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