In an sit-down interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump said Canada “stole” the automobile industry from the United States.
Summary
Donald Trump warned he may impose tariffs of 50 to 100% on Canadian-made cars, claiming Canada “stole” the U.S. auto industry.
The U.S. and Canada have had a deeply integrated automotive sector since the 1965 Auto Pact, later reinforced by NAFTA and CUSMA.
Trump also enacted 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum to protect U.S. industries.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to push back, with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc traveling to Washington to meet Trump’s commerce pick and argue against the tariffs.
This is the dude who replaced NAFTA with our current trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and can't stop talking about how terrible the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is. I don't think he understands a lot outside of manipulation.
He is clearly doing this to put pressure on the American automakers who absorbed the Canadian industry to make the huge expenses of rearranging their supply chains to no longer involve the Canadian part. No one will win from this.
Canadians already have a chip on their shoulder about most of their industries having been gradually absorbed by their bigger US counterparts over the decades, leaving them now with only few industries of their own. After having absorbed and exploited it, he wants to destroy it.
Claiming that they "stole" the industry is adding insult to injury. If Trump ever visits Canada he will be met by an angry lynch mob.
That's the thing: It's all bluff. The main goal is to scare away investments in the Canadian part of the industry by creating unpredictability. He's trying to sabotage our economy. Even if he doesn't actually follow through with it or doesn't keep them on for very long the effect will be very real. What a fucking ally he is...
I just hope that industries catch on to this and start ignoring him.
Encouraging domestic production is all well and good, but this doesn't do that. And besides, people like me are going to continue buying foreign vehicles for the manufacturing quality and durability.
Most American brands aren't actually made in the US. Chances are if you look at the label in your car's driver side door it'll say something about being manufactured in Mexico or Canada.
ah yes... I somehow ignored the "-made" part. stole sounds less bizarre that way but surely it must have been the company suits chasing cheaper manufacturing or something.
I get how shitty it would be for Canadian exports that have the tariff applied to them, but would it help some items become cheaper in Canada?
Now I understand that we do not do the final assembly or finishing on a lot of what is sent, but would we see it drive local prices down or would business try to justify higher prices to offset their loss (you know because it is the law of the universe that profits must always go up).
In the big picture, we stop shipping oil, we stop sending electricity and cars and or parts, keep food items here, in the long run would things become cheaper while we are looking for new markets to sell to, or while we are building our own systems to finish items where practical?
We as a nation cannot let that dumbfuck control our economy, every time it happens we say, "oh we need to diversify" and yet we never do because the US usually smartens up and sees us as an alie not an adversary, but I wouldn't count on that fron the US for quite some time as the government hasn't been sold to the tech douche bros and corrupt Republicans (or repugnicans).
You might see short term savings on some things during the economic turbulence, but overall it will make things more expensive in the short and long term.
For things that Canada is a net exporter of, like Canola, you might see a sudden oversupply when exports stop, and then cheaper products. In the long term, farms will adjust or go out of business. The expenses that come along with that wind up on the consumer eventually.
For manufactured items, if a business is shifting to solely domestic markets, they lose a lot of economies of scale which again increases costs.
Overall, free trade is a mixed bag. It ultimately saves consumers money, but leads to larger multinational businesses and reduced national autonomy.
Unwinding free trade gives up the reduced costs and costs a lot of money in retooling and reestablishing supply chains etc.
Well, it’s a good thing I live where public transportation and even just straight up walking is not only viable but actually preferable!
Shame the rest of the country was too busy crying about “freedom” and is about to get rat-fucked as their only viable mode of transportation(as it stands because they have not invested in good cities and towns) more than doubles in price! And oooooh how it will be nice to see the stupid overly large, and overly expensive, crossovers, SUVs, and trucks be the ones to get hit the hardest.