{"id":180559,"date":"2026-08-24T11:21:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/180559\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T11:21:19","slug":"very-difficult-calgary-jewellery-maker-set-to-lose-customers-amid-trade-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/180559\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Very difficult’: Calgary jewellery maker set to lose customers amid trade war"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jewellery maker Cindy Baldassi says she is expecting to lose roughly half of her customers as the trade war between Canada and the United States heats up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to start looking on how I can increase my sales elsewhere or my income,\u201d said Baldassi in a phone interview on Sunday from her home in Calgary.<\/p>\n

Baldassi\u2019s online shop, CindyLouWho2, is among the businesses across Canada that were hit by American tariffs on Saturday after trade talks between Canada and the United States failed the night before.<\/p>\n

The 50 per cent tariff affects Canadian exports worth more than $20 billion, including various gold, silver and imitation jewellery.<\/p>\n

Baldassi said that 75 per cent of buyers purchasing her sterling silver, stone and dinosaur fossil jewellery were American.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s stressed, she said, but feels Prime Minister Mark Carney did good by pulling away from negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s administration and pledging to retaliate.<\/p>\n

She said Trump is a bully and has created a lot of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should fight back,\u201d she said, \u201ceven though that is actually going to be very difficult on a lot of Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carney told a news conference Saturday that he called off trade talks Friday night because the Americans offered a \u201cbad deal\u201d and were pushing terms he found unacceptable. <\/p>\n

Ottawa will match Washington\u2019s tariffs dollar-for-dollar beginning next month, Carney said, targeting sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics.<\/p>\n

When asked Saturday if Canada was in a trade war with its southern neighbour, he said, \u201cYes, that\u2019s obvious.\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n

Baldassi suspended her sales to the United States over the weekend and is now scrambling to update prices on her online shop, and reaching out to American clients to notify them of the price changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, if I have a $35 pair of earrings, then that\u2019s another $17.50 that has to be added for American customers only,\u201d she said, noting the uncertainty of what\u2019s ahead is frustrating.<\/p>\n

\u2028\u201dI\u2019ve already gone through the five stages of grief. I\u2019m at acceptance already.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce said Saturday the trade war will affect nearly 100,000 jobs across the country, but it stands firm with Carney\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo deal is better than a bad deal,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is vital that we continue to stand as a united front and strengthen our economy at home while pursuing opportunities abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Opposition on Sunday called on Carney to release more details on the negotiations. Canada-U.S. relations critic Shuvaloy Majumdar added that his party still supports the government\u2019s decision to reject the deal.<\/p>\n

Baldassi said she would also like to know more about what Americans were offering.<\/p>\n

She said calls from Canadian leaders to support local businesses have slightly helped her. She has received orders for her jewellery from Canadians in the last two days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that we will see more of that because there are a lot of businesses that will be suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carney said the U.S. government was trying to restrict Canada\u2019s ability to make deals with other trading partners, and they tried to restrict Canada\u2019s protections for the French language.<\/p>\n

Some premiers said after a virtual meeting with Carney on Saturday that they were united, and expressed fierce support for the prime minister\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Trump cannot be trusted while Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called Trump out of touch. Both have called on Canadians to stick together as Team Canada and encouraged people to buy local.<\/p>\n

Other premiers have expressed disappointment with the collapse of trade talks.<\/p>\n

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that people should not cheer for Canada\u2019s looming retaliatory measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be cheering if our farmers have to pay 50 per cent more for all the equipment that they need to produce our food,\u201d Smith told a call-in radio show that aired in Alberta on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a success for us. It\u2019s something we should be lamenting.\u201d <\/p>\n

She said she hoped negotiators would soon resume talks.<\/p>\n

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, in a statement, said his government supports Carney. But he also noted the battle over tariffs won\u2019t be easy, saying \u201call tariffs hurt real businesses and kill real jobs, on both sides of the border.\u201d<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2026.<\/p>\n

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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