Canada relies on foreign auto executives for its auto industry. It already provides huge taxpayer subsidies per job. There is certainly a possible future where all of those foreign loyal companies side with US to destroy Canadian auto production/investment.
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China could help save Canadian auto industry by providing motors and batteries for Canadian made EVs. Chinese investment to make goods from Canadian resources in Canada is a path for scale that includes global export potential of autos and other industrial goods to whole globe including China.
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If it doesn’t make economic sense to make our own tube socks, it doesn’t make sense to make overly expensive cars, either. There is a stronger national security argument for apparel, that needs yearly replacements, than solar, batteries, and autos that last 20+ years. More so, when they are not dependent on continuous international fuel supply chains/geopolitics.
Pressure on foreign executives to support Canadian production includes access to Canadian market. The stability of status quo will appeal to most people. But the threat/plan B of cooperation with China is both a path to manufacturing and resource FDI paid by China instead of taxpayers, and better quality of life through better value goods.
I feel like they def have issues, Taiwan, Tibet, Uyghurs, human rights record, general authoritarianism.
They also seem to have a better climate change story than anyone in north america, and USA has totally shown itself to be a mercurial alley.
I don’t see what advantage high tariffs have on something we want more of (EV’s). If the standards suck, then I’m ok with bringing them up to standard and charging for that.
Making this an either or “they are or aren’t our enemies” seems unnecessary, when we could buy their things and put pressure on them to do better on the things at the top.
They lied about covid numbers, so I don’t really trust their pollution numbers either, but they make some kind of “one step forwards, two steps back” progress because they keep building new coal power plants.
The US is absolutely a shithole now, I don’t think we should look to them for EVs either.
So, Trump kind of ruined saying tariffs as a solution to anything, but they are a tool to apply pressure to trade partners. Huge tariffs on Chinese EVs isn’t contributing to our cost of living crisis, because we can get EVs from elsewhere for decent prices, and because EVs are a super luxury item anyway.
There’s no pressure applied if we buy their EVs at cost. We don’t realistically have enough global political power to apply any political pressure either.
Right, so why bother, it seems like we are just hurting canadians by having tariffs on evs
Because we can apply economic pressure.
No one is being hurt by not being able to buy a cheap Chinese EV.