The White House points to job creation and a shrinking federal workforce as proof of its re-industrialization policies and economic agenda working. So, beyond the spin, reality reveals a shakier labour market with weaker-than-claimed job growth, millions stuck in underemployment, and Trump’s tariffs and the looming CUSMA review, which threaten to make it all worse. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementBut tariffs “are about half the size of the tax cuts,” he caveated, which erases much of their benefit. Job openings and unemployment are roughly balanced, but the openings and job seekers do not match by skill or geography. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementBut if the tariffs are stunting job growth in the U.S., it’s bound to be worse for Canada, despite political spin.

Source: National Post February 19, 2026 14:47 UTC