Summary

Donald Trump warned he may impose tariffs of 50 to 100% on Canadian-made cars, claiming Canada “stole” the U.S. auto industry.

The U.S. and Canada have had a deeply integrated automotive sector since the 1965 Auto Pact, later reinforced by NAFTA and CUSMA.

Trump also enacted 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum to protect U.S. industries.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to push back, with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc traveling to Washington to meet Trump’s commerce pick and argue against the tariffs.

  • Drusas
    link
    fedilink
    2913 hours ago

    There are Canadian cars?

    Edit: I read the article and no, these are American cars which are being made in Canada.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    1813 hours ago

    This is because of Elon.

    Fuck it idc put 200% on Teslas and give us access to cheap Chinese vehicles.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      96 hours ago

      This is the dude who replaced NAFTA with our current trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and can’t stop talking about how terrible the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is. I don’t think he understands a lot outside of manipulation.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    67
    edit-2
    16 hours ago

    He is clearly doing this to put pressure on the American automakers who absorbed the Canadian industry to make the huge expenses of rearranging their supply chains to no longer involve the Canadian part. No one will win from this.

    Canadians already have a chip on their shoulder about most of their industries having been gradually absorbed by their bigger US counterparts over the decades, leaving them now with only few industries of their own. After having absorbed and exploited it, he wants to destroy it.

    Claiming that they “stole” the industry is adding insult to injury. If Trump ever visits Canada he will be met by an angry lynch mob.

    • Flying Squid
      link
      fedilink
      English
      2217 hours ago

      As usual, he has decided to implement a tariff without giving American businesses an alternative. Which hurts American businesses the most.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11
        edit-2
        10 hours ago

        That’s the thing: It’s all bluff. The main goal is to scare away investments in the Canadian part of the industry by creating unpredictability. He’s trying to sabotage our economy. Even if he doesn’t actually follow through with it or doesn’t keep them on for very long the effect will be very real. What a fucking ally he is…

        I just hope that industries catch on to this and start ignoring him.

        • Flying Squid
          link
          fedilink
          English
          916 hours ago

          It’s not bluff when he actually does it. He did it last time, he just backed down afterward. But it wasn’t like there was zero damage. And he hasn’t backed down on other tariffs yet.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            1015 hours ago

            Yeah people don’t realize he isn’t bluffing about any of this stuff. He is just trying to get as many concessions out of them before he implements the tariffs anyway.

  • originalucifer
    link
    fedilink
    2818 hours ago

    its going to suck living under a dictator forcing us to use/purchase inferior products.

    ‘freedom’

    • Hemingways_Shotgun
      link
      fedilink
      English
      314 hours ago

      The only freedom’s you’ll have left is the ability to vote on what America names its version of the Lada

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11 minute ago

        At least you can make a Lada run forever by repairing it.
        We’ll get a bunch of unfixable and proprietary bullshit.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    1117 hours ago

    Encouraging domestic production is all well and good, but this doesn’t do that. And besides, people like me are going to continue buying foreign vehicles for the manufacturing quality and durability.

  • @vastard
    link
    English
    817 hours ago

    It’s Tokyo Drift time, Canada.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      512 hours ago

      Most American brands aren’t actually made in the US. Chances are if you look at the label in your car’s driver side door it’ll say something about being manufactured in Mexico or Canada.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        17 hours ago

        ah yes… I somehow ignored the “-made” part. stole sounds less bizarre that way but surely it must have been the company suits chasing cheaper manufacturing or something.

  • Flying Squid
    link
    fedilink
    English
    517 hours ago

    Well that settles it. I’m not buying one of those Canadian car brands now.

    You won’t catch me dead driving a L’Automobile Candienne Maple Leaf SUV!

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    417 hours ago

    Well, it’s a good thing I live where public transportation and even just straight up walking is not only viable but actually preferable!

    Shame the rest of the country was too busy crying about “freedom” and is about to get rat-fucked as their only viable mode of transportation(as it stands because they have not invested in good cities and towns) more than doubles in price! And oooooh how it will be nice to see the stupid overly large, and overly expensive, crossovers, SUVs, and trucks be the ones to get hit the hardest.

    I wonder which country will be fucked harder.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    113 hours ago

    I get how shitty it would be for Canadian exports that have the tariff applied to them, but would it help some items become cheaper in Canada?

    Now I understand that we do not do the final assembly or finishing on a lot of what is sent, but would we see it drive local prices down or would business try to justify higher prices to offset their loss (you know because it is the law of the universe that profits must always go up).

    In the big picture, we stop shipping oil, we stop sending electricity and cars and or parts, keep food items here, in the long run would things become cheaper while we are looking for new markets to sell to, or while we are building our own systems to finish items where practical?

    We as a nation cannot let that dumbfuck control our economy, every time it happens we say, “oh we need to diversify” and yet we never do because the US usually smartens up and sees us as an alie not an adversary, but I wouldn’t count on that fron the US for quite some time as the government hasn’t been sold to the tech douche bros and corrupt Republicans (or repugnicans).

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      16 hours ago

      You might see short term savings on some things during the economic turbulence, but overall it will make things more expensive in the short and long term.

      For things that Canada is a net exporter of, like Canola, you might see a sudden oversupply when exports stop, and then cheaper products. In the long term, farms will adjust or go out of business. The expenses that come along with that wind up on the consumer eventually.

      For manufactured items, if a business is shifting to solely domestic markets, they lose a lot of economies of scale which again increases costs.

      Overall, free trade is a mixed bag. It ultimately saves consumers money, but leads to larger multinational businesses and reduced national autonomy.

      Unwinding free trade gives up the reduced costs and costs a lot of money in retooling and reestablishing supply chains etc.