As Canadians will head to poll stations on Monday for a federal election, the U.S. tariffs have become a key concern for voters, who expect election's winner to protect their jobs and businesses. In March, Canadian steel and aluminum exports to the United States, a sector worth around 35 billion U.S. dollars a year, were subject to a 25-percent tariff. The tariff impacts are already rippling through the economy. Across Canada, factories are facing canceled orders, and hundreds of workers have been laid off. In Hamilton, a city that has been synonymous with the steel industry for more than a century, local businesses are feeling the pinch. "The concern is the people of Hamilton are buckling up a little bit with their spending, and that trickles down to the restaurant, the hospitality business, and a lot of people are just watching their dollars right now. Those kinds of impacts, you feel it. You feel it, for sure," said Louise Rankin, owner of Rankin's Bar and Grill. The economic strain has become a central issue for voters as they head to the polls. In Toronto and beyond, many fear that maintaining tariffs will drive up costs across Canada, force businesses to seek new markets, and lead to widespread job losses. "If we keep those tariffs, everything in Canada will become more expensive. A lot of people in Canada might lose their jobs," said a resident. "The key issue is Trump and economics. The stronger we can be internally, get rid of the inter-provincial barriers to trade, strengthen our ties with other like-minded nations, and the more we can build a robust economy, the better off we're going to be in the long run," said another. This election season has been unprecedented. The U.S. tariffs, coupled with President Donald Trump's provocative rhetoric about annexing Canada, have triggered one of the most dramatic polling shifts in history. At the start of the year, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a commanding lead of over 20 points. However, the Liberal Party has surged ahead, under new leadership of Mark Carney, fueled by concerns over Canada's sovereignty amid a trade war with its largest trading partner and neighbor. "It's a transformational moment. We've gone through the looking glass. There's chaos on the agenda for the next three and half years. None of the old economic rules are holding in this moment. Guaranteed we are in a recession. Forget about will we be in a recession, we're in a recession right now. The only question is how deep and how long. And the question mark is can we recreate the Canadian economy without the handmaiden of the United States. And that is a question mark for anybody that wears the crown,"said Armine Yalnizyan, a Canadian economist. SHOTLIST: Hamilton, Canada - Recent 1. Various of Rankin's Bar and Grill, shop sign; 2. Louise Rankin, owner of Rankin's Bar and Grill, working; 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Rankin, owner, Rankin's Bar and Grill (starting with shot 2/partially overlaid with shot 4): "The concern is the people of Hamilton are buckling up a little bit with their spending, and that trickles down to the restaurant, the hospitality business, and a lot of people are just watching their dollars right now. Those kinds of impacts, you feel it. You feel it, for sure."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 4. Various of Rankin working; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Toronto, Canada - Recent 5. Cityscape; 6. Boat in lake; 7. Pedestrians on street; 8. SOUNDBITE (English) resident (name not given) (starting with shot 7/ending with shot 9): "If we keep those tariffs, everything in Canada will become more expensive. A lot of people in Canada might lose their jobs."; 9. National flags of Canada; 10. Lake, buildings; 11. SOUNDBITE (English) resident (name not given) (starting with shot 10/ending with shot 12): "The key issue is Trump and economics. The stronger we can be internally, get rid of the inter-provincial barriers to trade, strengthen our ties with other like-minded nations, and the more we can build a robust economy, the better off we're going to be in the long run."; Hamilton, Canada - Recent 12. Factory; Windsor, Ontario, Canada - Recent 13. Various of traffic on bridge; Canada - Recent 14. SOUNDBITE (English) Armine Yalnizyan, Canadian economist (starting with shot 13/partially overlaid with shots 15-17): "It's a transformational moment. We've gone through the looking glass. There's chaos on the agenda for the next three and half years. None of the old economic rules are holding in this moment. Guaranteed we are in a recession. Forget about will we be in a recession, we're in a recession right now. The only question is how deep and how long. And the question mark is can we recreate the Canadian economy without the handmaiden of the United States. And that is a question mark for anybody that wears the crown."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Windsor, Ontario, Canada - Recent 15. Traffic on bridge; 16. Various of Canadian, U.S. national flags; 17. Various of workers on car assembly lines; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Hamilton, Canada - Recent 18. Various of traffic, pedestrians, stores. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]