TORONTO — Canada’s manufacturing industry is condemning the U.S. government’s decision to impose tariffs on their aluminum imports and worried about how it will impact the economy’s recovery from the pandemic.
Dennis Darby, the chief executive of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, says in statement that the 10 per cent tariff U.S. President Donald Trump is imposing on Canadian aluminum imports as of Aug. 16 is unjustified and unnecessary.
Darby fears the tariffs will have a negative impact on efforts to restore the Canadian and American economies in the wake of COVID-19 and will drive prices up for consumers because aluminum is a key component of many manufactured goods and supply chains
He says the Canadian aluminum industry employs about 10,000 workers and is the largest supplier of aluminum to the U.S.
The new tariffs come after the U.S. 2018 imposed a 25 per cent duty on steel and a 10 per cent duty on aluminum in 2018.
Canada responded with a slew of tariffs of U.S. products including ketchup, coffee, strawberry jam and whisky before the two countries dropped their efforts and agreed to a new North American free trade deal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.
The Canadian Press
