If there is a trade war with Canada, what does it mean for Whatcom's economy?

If a trade war with Canada does ramp up, it will also impact the Whatcom economy in other ways, said James McCafferty, a director at the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western.

"Uncertainty in any business leads to all sorts of attempts at managing it," McCafferty said. "Reduction of trade flows, sourcing, production and price are all levelers that could be pulled in a variety of ways. That is short-term. Long-term, capital investment and business activity location can be impacted."