KENORA—Kiiwetinoong MP Eric Melillo says new U.S. tariffs could hit Northwestern Ontario hard, with forestry and mining among the industries he believes are most vulnerable as the Canada-U.S. trade dispute continues.
Speaking with the Kenora Miner and News, Melillo said the forestry sector is already feeling the effects of trade tensions, pointing to mill closures and job losses in Northwestern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada.
“They’ll certainly hit hard,” Melillo said of the new tariffs, which are set to come into effect on Aug. 19 at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We’ve seen mills close. We’ve seen jobs lost right across Northwestern Ontario, right across Canada, as a result of this trade dispute already in the forest industry.”
When asked whether forestry and mining would be among the most vulnerable industries in Northwestern Ontario, Melillo said he believes they will be. But he cautioned that the effects of tariffs could reach beyond the industries directly targeted, creating wider uncertainty for Canadian businesses and workers.
Melillo said Conservatives have been calling for emergency meetings of Parliament’s international trade committee to bring parties together and press the federal government for details on its response.
His party wants the committee to work across party lines in an effort to prevent additional tariffs from taking effect.
He was more cautious when asked what the dispute could mean for cross-border travel and tourism, both of which are important to Kenora and other communities in Northwestern Ontario.
“Potentially, yes,” he said when asked whether cross-border activity could be affected. “I don’t want to speculate on that too much.”
“I don’t know what that means for our tourism here in Northwestern Ontario. I truly don’t, so I won’t speculate.”
Melillo said reaching a trade agreement with the United States should remain the federal government’s priority. “Of course, we need to get a trade deal,” he said.
He criticized the federal government’s handling of negotiations and said he wants Ottawa to take a stronger position in defending Canadian workers.
Melillo said the uncertainty is already weighing on businesses and workers he encounters across the region.
“A lot of businesses, a lot of workers, a lot of people are experiencing these challenges already, and it’s only going to get more challenging and more unknown,” he said. “We’re going into uncharted waters from that point of view.”
He said people are worried about what the trade dispute could mean for their livelihoods.
“I know a lot of people are just scared about what it’s going to mean for their business or for their employment,” Melillo said.
Despite his criticism of the federal government, Melillo said his party is prepared to work across party lines on the issue.
He said Conservatives want the international trade committee to meet and examine the situation, with the goal of bringing parties together and finding a way to prevent further tariffs.
“We’re ready to work,” he said, adding that no party wants to see the tariffs become a reality.
If the dispute continues, Melillo said he plans to use the Question Period in the House of Commons and motions at both the House and committee levels to press the government for details about its plan and advocate for Northwestern Ontario.
“We have the job, of course, to hold the government to account,” he said. “We’re going to do that on all these issues.”
At the same time, he said Conservatives remain willing to work with the government where there is common ground.
“This is certainly one,” Melillo said. “If they’re willing to work together, we’re willing to work with them.”
Melillo stopped short of commenting on the details of negotiations between Canada and the United States, noting those discussions happen behind closed doors.
“I can’t speak to what the specific conversations have been, but I can tell you that they haven’t been working clearly,” he said.
He argued that concessions made by the federal government have not prevented tariffs from increasing and said the current approach needs to be reconsidered.
“The strategy clearly isn’t working,” Melillo said.
The United States and Canada have had a rocky relationship since Trump returned to office in early 2025, as in addition to tariffs, he has consistently mused about Canada becoming the 51st state. Speaking on the two countries’ interlinked economies, Trump previously said in Feb. 2025 that if certain people “wanted to play the game right, it would be 100% certain that they’d (Canada would) become a state.”
