The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition that President Donald Trump's fluctuating tariff threats are costing Canadian companies significantly, with some facing expenses in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars due to delays and uncertainties in trade. The Post's Barbara Shecter writes that this includes costs for employee time and services from lobbyists, customs brokers and trade lawyers, according to William Pellerin of Mcmillan. On March 4, Mr. Trump imposed 25-per-cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico but later exempted the automotive industry and announced a suspension of tariffs until April 2 for goods under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. CIBC economist Avery Shenfeld says any delays in major investment decisions by Canadian companies amid the tariff uncertainty are a "soft" cost that looms large compared with others. He says, "That puts the ice on jobs in engineering, construction, machinery and other parts of the economy that are tied to capital spending." He says the disruption of trade flows caused by tariffs will be a major cost to the economy, but the constant imposition and reversal of the levies -- plus the affected country's response to them -- is making the amount difficult to predict.