The federal government is not considering dropping tariffs it imposed last year on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), steel and aluminum, despite Beijing’s retaliation and U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a trade war with Canada, according to the industry minister.
Ottawa imposed a 100 per cent import tax on Chinese EVs and a 25 per cent import tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum last October. Beijing retaliated over the weekend by imposing nearly $4 billion in tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, including canola oil and pork.
"We’re going to stand strong,” said Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, in an interview with Vassy Kapelos on CTV News Channel’s Power Play. “We want to protect our industry. We want to protect our workers. We want to protect our communities.”
The federal government, following the lead of then-U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, imposed a 100 per cent import tax on EVs produced in China in October of last year, accusing Beijing of “distorting global trade” by exporting EVs at “unfairly low prices.”
Ottawa also imposed a 25 per cent import tax on Chinese-made steel and aluminum last October, accusing China of “pervasive subsidization” of its steel and aluminum industry.
In the wake of Trump’s decision to launch a trade war with Canada and China’s decision to impose new tariffs on Canadian products, B.C. Premier David Eby urged the federal government to rethink its tariff policy with all countries, including China.
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By all means, try to get existing auto manufacturers on board instead. But there needs to be a plan B. Extremely shameful and destructive for the lacks of talks between Canada and China. Tariffs were put on with not even a phone call, as Sulivan met with Trudeau one weekend.
A 50% tariff would allow a trickle of Chinese EVs in and raise revenue without harming domestic production. 25% on cars over $90k would just be competition against only high end mostly European cars, and value there would be good. Revenue raising.
100% is too much. Equivalent to ban. It would be a big boost to agriculture and all of other industry if a Chinese trade deal were to happen, including making the tariffs revenue raisers instead of a ban. And make tariff levels on China part of the negotiation for manufacturers in Canada to commit to Canada, which we are also failing to hear is happening.
You cannot negotiate better deals with US or Europe if you close yourself off form other options. Certainly a key to dealing with US is to break their agriculture sector by outcompeting it on Chinese sales. No defense pact with Philippines is a f’n no brainer. Top 3 stupid Canada moves, easily. Just fucking talk, losers.
Talks between Canada and China have been going on all the time, but China doesn’t appear to listen. The government in Beijing ordered Chinese companies to overproduce -EVs and other products- as they think this is the only way to support their troubled economy. They make decisions in complete disregard of anyone else. I don’t say tariffs or other protectionist measure are a good thing, but a free competitive market only works if everyone plays according to the rules. China doesn’t.