Carney’s latest move may be good for diplomacy, but does little to change the everyday reality of struggling students
Illustration by Sage Blackwell.
Affordability dominates headlines and campaign trails, but for students at the University of Victoria, it’s not an abstract talking point. It’s the daily reality of paying for food, rent and tuition. Every decision costs.
On Sept. 1, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government lifted retaliatory tariffs on a range of U.S. goods, reversing measures originally imposed in response to President Donald Trump’s trade policies. The change raises an important question: Will UVic students actually feel the difference at the checkout counter?
In a statement to the Martlet, a UVic representative said that when the tariffs were first introduced, UVic Food Services “identified and switched sourcing from American to Canadian products,” adding that most food sold on campus is local and regional food.
“UVic Food Services purchases 100 per cent of our food from Canadian suppliers and we do not directly purchase food products from the U.S.,” the spokesperson said. “As a result, the tariffs … have had no significant cost impact on our product sourcing here on campus.”
The spokesperson said that UVic recognizes that “food costs remain high,” and said they would continue to negotiate with suppliers to lower or maintain prices. However, they told the Martlet, “we don’t foresee an effect on pricing due to the elimination of tariffs.”
Outside of campus, however, students may see some change. Dr. Jason Hicks, a limited term faculty member in the Department of Economics at UVic, said it is unclear how much tariffs have contributed to higher prices compared to other factors, but the decision could help prevent bills from rising further. He predicts that imported products like peanut butter, canned goods, ketchup, fruit juices, clothing, and footwear — staples for many students, and items that have seen price increases — are likely to see modest reductions in price starting in October.
Some economists have noted that Canadians’ preference for domestic products may continue to limit U.S. sales in Canada. Hicks, however, predicts that, while some Canadians have recently leaned into buy-local habits, those patterns are unlikely to last long-term.
Still, Hicks doesn’t expect students to see major savings. “I suspect [the impacts will] be on the margins,” he said. However, he doesn’t consider the decision to drop tariffs trivial, especially for students with more constrained budgets. For many, every dollar saved counts. Similarly, Dr. Vasco Gabriel, professor and Chair of Economics at UVic, said in an emailed statement that “dropping retaliatory tariffs is good news for everyone.”
UVic history professor Dr. Jason Colby, an expert in U.S. politics, agrees the move will not dramatically improve affordability for students, compared to other policy areas like housing, but believes that it is a positive step. Colby said that higher consumer prices could increase inflation, disproportionately hurting low-income groups, which often include students.
“Canadian students have consistently gotten screwed over with prices,” Colby said. “Anything that adds to that can be catastrophic for young Canadians.”
Colby also sees a positive political story behind the decision. While some view tariff removal as a softening of Carney’s anti-Trump stance, Colby argues it is a diplomatic and Canada-first decision for a country dependent on the U.S. economy.
“Because the truth is, Canada is the 51st state economically,” Colby said.
For students, any relief on groceries or clothing is welcome, but not transformative. The removal of billions of dollars in tariffs was necessary, in the view of many economists, to shield consumers from higher prices and prevent further escalation in Canada’s already fragile economic relationship with the U.S. Still, gains in affordability will be limited. As Trump’s legal battles over tariffs threaten to reignite tensions, our future remains uncertain.
Colby stated that key ways to improve affordability for students could include lowering or removing university facility fees — for example, UVic charges students for gym access, while many other Canadian universities do not — along with encouraging more housing construction at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.
Colby also pointed to reducing trade barriers between provinces, lowering energy costs, axing hidden carbon taxes, and addressing immigration levels to ease competition for housing, while noting that such policies may carry social, fiscal, or environmental trade-offs. He said that, while Carney has declared an intent to implement some of these policy changes, he has struggled to put them into effect so far.
For UVic students living in a city where the cost of living continues to climb, Carney’s decision may offer incremental relief, but it does little to address the core drivers of affordability. In this area, the government has more work to do.
