In response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is imposing tariffs on 235 U.S. products. One of the products is maple syrup.

Suddenly, Bascom Family Farms syrup will become 10 per cent more expensive for Canadians to import. Which means its Canadian customers may decide to look elsewhere, Bascom said, unless he takes a hit to keep them happy.

“They can buy Canadian and save the 10 per cent tariff, or they can buy American, which is what they have been doing, and pay more. So I suspect we’re going to have to compromise and lower our prices,” said Bascom, 68, a fifth-generation maple syrup producer. “It’s going to cost us quite a bit of money.”