Shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump put his tariffs plan on ice for 30 days yesterday afternoon, Canadian Tire president Greg Hicks put an impassioned post on LinkedIn, citing his firm’s patriotism.
Canadian Tire’s slogan is: “We are here to make life in Canada better.” 
“That purpose feels particularly important right now as we prepare for an unjustified economic assault from our nation’s longest-standing ally,” Hicks wrote. “Today, all of us have more questions than answers. So, as we wait and prepare, we are moving forward based on what we know now.”
Hicks added that although the company values its U.S. suppliers, it is Canadian Tire’s responsibility to pull every lever possible to protect its customers from unnecessary and damaging American tariffs.
Follow Hardlines on LinkedIn by clicking here.
The contractor side of the business is growing explosively, and most dealers today have at least some of their sales going to trades or builders. Hardlines is launching PRO Dealer Business, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about the news in the pro, GSD, and ICI markets. The first issue goes out this Friday—and it’s free! Click here to subscribe to this important e-newsletter.
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to slap 25 percent tariffs on almost all Canada’s products and services going into the U.S. He carved out a 10 percent tariff on Canadian petroleum headed south of the border.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday 25 percent retaliatory tariffs, effective after tomorrow, on approximately $30 billion of American imports into this country. Roughly $125 billion worth of U.S. imports will similarly be tariffed on Feb. 25, Trudeau said.
(Industry reaction to the tariffs was distributed to Hardlines Premium members this morning in our subscriber-only Hardlines Weekly Report. To subscribe to this e-newsletter, please click here.)
Ottawa’s Finance Department yesterday published the list of products from the U.S. that will attract retaliatory 25 percent tariffs. This is a preliminary list of about $30 billion worth of U.S. imports. About $125 billion of tariffs, in addition to those on this list, are scheduled by the Canadian government for Feb. 25. The U.S. products hit immediately consist of a huge amount of imports into Canadian home improvement stores.
They include: hand and power tools and accessories, sinks and baths, appliances, sawn wood, plywood and OSB, wood flooring, shakes and shingles, carpet, furniture, range hoods, pumps, padlocks, light fittings, water heaters, and more. (Click here to see the complete list of U.S. imports hit by the tariffs from tomorrow.)
The federal government is pressing pause on its plans to increase the inclusion rate for taxes on capital gains. The change was due to take effect on June 25 of this year but is now slated for Jan. 1, 2026 —meaning it could become moot if the Liberals are defeated in the next general election. “It is a surprise,” Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly told CBC News, “but it is welcome news.”
At the same time, the government announced a new incentive “to encourage entrepreneurship by reducing the inclusion rate to one-third on a lifetime maximum of $2 million in eligible capital gains,” according to a release. “This incentive would take effect starting in the 2025 tax year and the maximum would increase by $400,000 each year, reaching $2 million in 2029.”
W.W. Grainger reported Q4 sales of US$4.2 billion, an increase of 5.9 percent from a year earlier. Net earnings rose 20.3 percent to $475 million. For the full fiscal year, sales of $17.2 billion were up 4.2 percent compared to 2023, while earnings increased by 4.4 percent to $1.9 billion.
Walmart Canada is making a $6.5 billion investment over the next five years as the company plans to further accelerate growth in Canada, the company announced in a release. The retailer will open five new Supercentres in Ontario and Alberta by 2027 including Port Credit Walmart Supercentre and Oakville Walmart Super Centre, both slated for 2025.
Additional stores will open in Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray in 2027. Meanwhile, The Vaughan Distribution Centre will open in the spring of this year. “This $6.5 billion investment is the largest we’ve made in Canada towards expanding our footprint since we first arrived here 30 years ago,” said Gui Loureiro, regional CEO, of Walmart Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Central America.
The Home Depot in the U.S. has recruited two more outside suppliers to fulfill home deliveries from its stores south of the border. Now, customers can order certain products through Uber Eats and DoorDash. The service is in addition to Home Depot’s use of Instacart, a home delivery service that the retailer partnered with last summer.
Canada’s newest buying group, EvoX, held a dealer information day yesterday in Montreal for dealers and select vendor partners. The new organization is the result of a partnership between Winnipeg-based Sexton Group and Évolution Distribution, a relatively new wholesale distributor that has spent the last five years adding members and providing services that established it as a buying group in its own right.
The event was co-hosted by Sexton Group president Eric Palmer and Évolution Distribution’s president, Geneviève Gagnon (shown here).
Paul Crawford, CEO and former president of King Marketing, is retiring after 35 years in the business. He got his start as a sales representative for King Marketing, eventually growing the national manufacturers’ agency from its Western Canadian roots into a national organization serving the hardware and home improvement industry.
