Hope Mission says it’s helping record number of Edmontonians, fears impact of trade war​on March 13, 2025 at 9:22 pm

The scale of the economic impact of the trade war between Canada and the U.S. is not yet clear, but a non-profit organization that works with homeless Edmontonians says it fears the tariff showdown could intensify an already challenging situation that it currently faces.

“We have never had this many people coming to our doors in need of help,” Tim Pasma, the Hope Mission’s director of programs and homelessness, said in a news release issued Thursday.

“The trade war and worsening economy will push more people onto the streets who were already struggling, and will have a devastating impact on people in need.”

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A look at the new Hope Mission shelter in west Edmonton

While a a Canadian delegation that includes federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Thursday, previous meetings between Canadian lawmakers and their American counterparts have done little to quell the ongoing economic uncertainty.

The Hope Mission says the record-breaking numbers of clients it is serving includes people needing shelters, meals and prevention programs for children, youth and families.

“We can’t face this crisis alone,” Pasma said.

“We need the help of our community — every gift, big or small, makes a significant difference. I think of Rev. Harold and Hillie Edwardson, who founded Hope Mission in 1929 as stock markets were crashing at the onset of the Great Depression.

“They saw a need and rose up to the challenge, an inspiration for all of us Canadians as we ask ourselves who we should aspire to be in times of crisis.”

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Various levels of government across the country and many organizations have been planning for the potential impacts that a prolonged trade war could have on Canadians. The economic fears have grown ever since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canada earlier this month and as he continues to speak about his desire to make Canada the U.S’s 51st state. Canada has responded with retaliatory tariffs.

On Friday, federal Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon announced new “temporary work-sharing measures” to expand his government’s existing work-sharing program to let employers cut hours while keeping workers in their jobs with income support.

He said this will allow employers to keep workers on their payrolls without having to resort to cutting jobs He also said the federal government will broaden the program to include workers in for-profit and charitable sectors as well as those working in cyclical or seasonal jobs.

The work-sharing program is an initiative meant to help prevent layoffs “when there is a temporary decrease in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer,” according to Employment and Social Development Canada.

Alberta Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon spoke Tuesday at a news conference about a federal-provincial funding agreement to address homelessness and said that “across Canada and across North America, from the fentanyl epidemic to other things that we see taking place in the streets, is a rapidly accelerating situation that requires more significant investment by the government. And that’s what you see, is governments step up.”

–with files from Saba Aziz, Global News

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