Pitasanna Shanmugathas is a 2L Single JD student at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law in Ontario.
As President Trump’s Canadian tariffs take effect, students in the University of Windsor and Detroit Mercy Law School’s Dual JD program find themselves unexpectedly on the front lines of international trade policy. Trump’s controversial executive order, imposing 25% tariffs on most Canadian goods and 10% on energy products, has transformed these cross-border students from future international lawyers into immediate case studies in trade disruption.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory measures on Monday, saying Canada would “not let this unjustified decision go unanswered” and imposing 25% tariffs on $155 billion of American goods—starting with immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods, with the remainder to follow in 21 days. “While less than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada, we have worked relentlessly to address this scourge that affects Canadians and Americans alike,” Trudeau stated, highlighting a reported 97% drop in fentanyl seizures from Canada between December 2024 and January 2025.
Caught in the crossfire of this international dispute are students like Valavan Patkunaranjan, a 1L student in the Dual JD program. He crosses the Windsor-Detroit border multiple times weekly for his legal studies. “As a Dual JD student, any changes to the U.S.-Canada trade policy, like the Trump tariffs, can have a pretty direct impact on my daily life. I cross the border multiple times a week for classes, and that comes with costs that already add up quickly. If tariffs drive up prices on gas, car maintenance, or anything travel-related, it’s just another financial hit on top of everything else we have to manage.”
Paige Donaldson, a 2L in the Dual JD program, expresses concerns about longer-term professional implications. “As a Canadian Dual JD student, the tariffs on legal services or related sectors could have significant implications for me and my colleagues, particularly in terms of cross-border practice and employment opportunities,” she notes. “For those of us considering U.S.-based employment post-graduation, increased tariffs or strained trade relations may lead to reduced hiring or sponsorship opportunities from American firms looking to cut costs or who suddenly have bias against Canadian citizens based on statements by the Trump administration.”
The US administration justified the tariffs by claims of an “extraordinary threat to U.S national security” from drug trafficking, with a White House fact sheet claiming “a growing presence of Mexican cartels operating fentanyl and nitazene synthesis labs in Canada.”
Legal experts question the US justification. Professor Gus Van Harten of Osgoode Hall Law School characterizes the tariffs as blatantly violating both USMCA and World Trade Organization agreements, while Barry Appleton of New York Law School identifies the weak connection between the declared emergency and trade restrictions as a “key legal vulnerability.”
For Dual JD students, the program’s unique structure makes them particularly vulnerable to these trade tensions. “One of the biggest expenses is toll fees. Every time we go through the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel, we’re paying both ways, and that’s just part of the commute,” Patkunaranjan explains. “If gas prices rise because of trade disputes, that’s even more money out of pocket. Since a lot of car parts are imported between Canada and the U.S., maintenance and repairs could also get more expensive, which is frustrating when you’re already stretching every dollar as a student.”
Trudeau’s warning that “Americans will pay more for groceries, gas, and cars, and potentially lose thousands of jobs” due to the tariffs has particular resonance for these cross-border students, who will feel the immediate effects in both countries simultaneously. As Donaldson points out: “If legal services between the two countries become more expensive due to tariffs, it could limit cross-border litigation and transactional work, reducing the demand for dual-qualified lawyers.”
Currency exchange implications particularly worry these cross-border students. “Another thing that worries me is the exchange rate. Since some of our tuition and expenses are in US dollars, a weaker Canadian dollar means higher costs overall,” Patkunaranjan notes. “When the dollar dips, tuition goes up, textbooks cost more, and even grabbing food in Detroit gets pricier. It’s something a lot of us have to factor into our budgets, and it adds stress when making long-term financial plans.”
As Trudeau pointed out, these tariffs “will violate the very trade agreement that was negotiated by President Trump in his last term.” For students studying international trade law while living its immediate consequences, the irony is not lost. “At the end of the day, trade policies aren’t just about big business, they hit students too,” concludes Patkunaranjan. “When you rely on cross-border travel and a stable exchange rate just to get through law school, every little change matters.”
