Marty Warren, national director of the United Steelworkers (USW) of Canada, has made some evaluations regarding US President Donald Trump’s tariff threat. The Trump administration is considering imposing 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada and 10 percent tariffs on China from February 1, as SteelOrbis reported previously.
Mr. Warren stated that Trump’s threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico from February 1 is a reckless and harmful decision that will have a huge impact on workers and industries not only in Canada, but also in the US. He said the move is a direct attack on integrated industries, supply chains and the unionized jobs on both sides of the border. He underlined that workers in key industries such as steel, mining, automotive and manufacturing are the foundations of the economy and that threatening trade relations with Canada will undermine both these industries and thousands of jobs.
Referring to similar moves in the past, the USW Canada official said that tariffs will result in instability and further uncertainty in investment plans as well as in supply chain disruptions, cost increases and thousands of job losses. In the light of these negative prospects, Mr. Warren has called on the Canadian government to take immediate countermeasures in order to protect domestic workers and industries, and to work closely with US allies, who acknowledge the impact of tariffs on their own economies and workers. He pointed out that the Canadian government has to implement mitigation measures such as protectionist trade measures, industrial policies aimed at bolstering strategic sectors, domestic procurement policies and investment in domestic manufacturing capacity to protect jobs and industries in the short, medium and long term.