Canadian bank CEOs call trade tensions 'manageable'
Executives from Scotiabank and BMO downplay immediate impact of U.S. tariffs while urging domestic reform.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
A Bay Street sign is shown in Toronto's financial district, home to Canada's big banks. The banks started reporting third-quarter financial results this week amid a heated trade war with the U.S. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)
Photograph: CBC News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on approximately $28 billion of Canadian products.
- Scotiabank CEO Scott Thomson and Bank of Montreal CEO Darryl White both stated the trade situation is 'manageable'.
- The Canadian federal government announced retaliatory tariffs on American goods, effective September 8.
- Scotiabank reported a third-quarter profit of $2.95 billion, an increase from $2.53 billion in the previous year.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 7 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
20/100
7 sources · methodology
Canadian bank executives have characterised the escalating trade dispute with the United States as 'manageable.' Scotiabank CEO Scott Thomson and Bank of Montreal CEO Darryl White made these statements on Tuesday, coinciding with the release of their third-quarter financial results. The remarks come after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on about $28 billion worth of Canadian products. In response, the Canadian federal government announced its own retaliatory tariffs on American goods, scheduled to take effect on September 8.
Differing views on tariff impact
Scotiabank CEO Scott Thomson stated that the new U.S. tariffs directly impact less than one per cent of the bank's total loan book, according to CBC News. He described Canada's economic fundamentals as 'pretty good,' citing job growth and fiscal capacity. Thomson also suggested the situation presents an opportunity for Canada to accelerate domestic reforms, such as removing interprovincial trade barriers. Bank of Montreal CEO Darryl White echoed these sentiments, calling the situation 'absolutely manageable' and suggesting impacts are likely to be mitigated. However, American Banker noted that analysts worry the trade fight could continue to widen.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the specific figure of 40 per cent of BMO's assets being allocated to the U.S. market, as reported by CBC News. None of the digests mention the specific analyst quote from Jefferies regarding Scotiabank's third quarter results. None of the digests mention the specific figures for Scotiabank's revenue or provision for credit losses for the quarter.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 25 Aug 2026, 21:01, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- Reports from the left-rated outlets focused on the statements by Scotiabank CEO Scott Thomson and Bank of Montreal CEO Darryl White regarding the 'manageable' nature of the trade situation. These reports highlighted Thomson's comments on Canada's 'pretty good' fundamentals and White's view that the situation is 'absolutely manageable.' The left-rated coverage also noted the imposition of U.S. tariffs and Canada's planned retaliatory measures. CBC News reported that while banks are insulated from direct tariff costs, their loan portfolios are exposed to the economic fallout. The outlet also quoted Thomson suggesting the moment could be used to accelerate the prime minister's agenda for domestic reform.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from Castanet led with Scotiabank CEO Scott Thomson's assessment that new U.S. tariffs and trade tensions are 'manageable.' It detailed Thomson's comments on Canada's strong fundamentals and his view that the situation creates uncertainty but remains manageable. The report also mentioned the federal government's announcement of retaliatory tariffs on American goods. Castanet noted Thomson's suggestion that the moment could be used to accelerate the prime minister's agenda for domestic reform and diversification of trade. The report also included details of Scotiabank's third-quarter financial results, including its profit of $2.95 billion.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated report from Financial Post highlighted that Scotiabank and Bank of Montreal CEOs described U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariffs as 'manageable.' The digest stated that the CEOs urged Ottawa to accelerate economic change, quoting that 'There is an opportunity for the Canadian federal and provincial governments to recognize the moment for what it is and use it to drive transformational policy change.' The report also noted that the CEOs see an opportunity to drive change and that the tariffs are manageable.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Canadian bank CEOs call trade tensions 'manageable'?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 7. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Canadian bank CEOs call trade tensions 'manageable' left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Canadian bank CEOs call trade tensions 'manageable' biased?
- Canadian bank CEOs call trade tensions 'manageable' is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Canadian bank CEOs call trade tensions 'manageable'?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did the CEOs of Scotiabank and BMO say about the trade situation?
- Scotiabank CEO Scott Thomson and Bank of Montreal CEO Darryl White both stated that the escalating trade tensions with the United States are 'manageable.' They made these remarks while discussing their banks' third-quarter financial results.
- What action did the U.S. take regarding Canadian products?
- U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on approximately $28 billion worth of Canadian products. This action was a significant development in the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.
- What was Canada's response to the U.S. tariffs?
- The Canadian federal government announced its own set of retaliatory tariffs on American goods. These counter-tariffs are scheduled to take effect on September 8 and are intended to match the value of the U.S. tariffs.
- How did Scotiabank perform financially in the third quarter?
- Scotiabank reported a third-quarter profit of $2.95 billion, which is an increase from the $2.53 billion reported in the same quarter a year ago. The bank's results exceeded analyst expectations.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- What Canada's big banks are saying about Trump's trade war (opens CBC News in a new tab)
- New U.S. tariffs and trade tensions are 'manageable,' says Scotiabank CEO (opens thealbertan.com in a new tab)
thealbertan.com — is thealbertan.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- New U.S. tariffs and trade tensions are 'manageable,' says Scotiabank CEO (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Scotiabank: New Tariffs Are "Manageable", Says CEO (opens La Presse in a new tab)
Centre
1Right
1Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
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