Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will be matching the United States' auto tariffs, effectively ending a 60-year agreement between the two nations.
Carney, who paused his election campaign on Tuesday to address a potential new wave of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, made the announcement in Ottawa Thursday (April 3). He said Canada would be implementing 25-per-cent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the U.S. that are not compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
鈥淵esterday marked the latest in President Trump鈥檚 unprecedented series of U.S. tariffs that are designed to reshape the international trading system. The ambition of these measures is enormous, the effects on the global economy will be monumental.鈥�
Carney said he received confirmation Wednesday that Trump's reciprocal tariffs would not be imposed on Canada. However the auto tariffs, and two other sets of tariffs, remain in place.
"So while it鈥檚 progress that further tariffs were not imposed on Canada yesterday, the president鈥檚 actions will reverberate here in Canada and across the world.鈥�
The auto tariffs, which went into effect Thursday, have already had an impact in Canada. Carney said workers from Unifor Local 444, who he met with while he was in Windsor on March 26, learned that their auto assembly plant would be shutting down for at least the next two weeks.
"That鈥檚 3,600 workers who are now out of work 鈥� not by their choice.鈥�
More to come.
