The Bank of Canada on Wednesday trimmed its key policy rate by 25 basis points to 3%, cut growth forecasts and said it was concerned that U.S. tariffs could stoke persistently high inflation. U.S. President Donald Trump is promising to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada on Saturday.

In its first cut of 2025, the Bank of Canada (BoC) lowered its key interest rate by 25 basis points. On Wednesday, the country’s central bank announced it had reduced the policy rate from 3.25% to 3%.

“A long-lasting and broad-based trade conflict would badly hurt economic activity in Canada. At the same time, the higher cost of imported goods will put direct upward pressure on inflation,” Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said in a prepared opening statement on Wednesday.