The Decibel

The auto sector is at the heart of trade discussions between Canada and the U.S.

Canada’s auto sector has been hit hard over the past year with tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. How the U.S. was planning on dealing with the auto industry was one of the reasons the trade deal between the two countries fell apart over the weekend.

So today, The Globe’s economics reporter, Mark Rendell, explains why trade discussions focus so heavily on the auto industry, what impact the tariffs have had, and what it means for a sector that is already struggling.

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The Canada-U.S. trade war is in full effect.

On Tuesday, the federal government announced retaliatory tariffs against the United States. U.S. steel, seafood, dishwashers, forks, and all manner of other things are facing tariffs of 15, 25 or even 50 per cent.

Jason Kirby, from The Globe’s Report on Business, tells us how Canada is striking back in this latest front of the trade war.

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After trade talks broke down between Ottawa and Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented 50-per-cent tariffs on $28-billion dollars worth of Canadian goods. Over the weekend, Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to retaliate with dollar-for-dollar countertariffs, which are set to take effect after Labour Day. On Monday, President Trump announced the U.S. would also be doubling its tariffs on Canadian auto parts and steel to 50 per cent come Jan. 1, 2027.

As the trade war escalates and deepens, Canadian businesses — already struggling under existing levies — are bracing for even more pain as uncertainty becomes the norm.

Today, the Globe’s capital markets reporter, Jameson Berkow, is here. He’ll tell us what he’s hearing from business leaders, how these new levies and countertariffs will impact Canada’s economy, and how businesses are preparing for a lengthy trade war.

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Plasma is the golden fluid part of the blood and it’s used to make life-saving medications for people with immune deficiencies. In Canada, plasma donors were historically volunteers, for the most part. While paid donation was legal in some provinces, it wasn’t especially common.

But in 2022, Canadian Blood Services partnered with Grifols, a Spanish company, to expand paid plasma donation. Now, they operate 17 sites across six provinces. After the deaths of two donors in the past year, however, Health Canada has been examining the company’s procedures. Earlier this month, Grifols announced they were pausing operations.

Chris Hannay covers the business of health for The Globe. Today, he’s here to talk about what we know about Grifols’ temporary closure, what we’ve learned about the deaths, and what this all means for Canada’s access to plasma-based medication.

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The first episode of Skinny Inc. was all about the science behind GLP-1s, and the second episode was about the business, from the pharmaceutical companies who make GLP-1s to the insurance plans that may or may not cover it.

Today, we’re exploring how the so-called “Ozempic era,” affects people’s mental health.

First, business owner Maiyhet Burton tells us how using a GLP-1 has helped her body image. Globe health reporter Kelly Grant details how experts are split on the effect of GLP-1s on weight stigma, and psychotherapist Zoë Bisbing explains how the body positive movement helps her clients.

Plus, Tigress Osborn, executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance on why the popularity of GLP-1s shows how far we have to go with anti-fat discrimination, and Ary Mahraj and Emily Donahue from the National Eating Disorder Information Centre tell us how people with eating disorders may be impacted by the constant discussions about weight loss.

Finally, Dr. Stephen Glazer, Medical Director for the Bariatric Surgical Program at Humber River Hospital in Toronto on how weight stigma can be internalized.

This episode is the third of a three-part series. It originally aired March 9, 2026.

You can contact the National Eating Disorders Information Centre at their toll-free helpline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or visit their website.

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