Printed Jan 08, 2025 • Final up to date 3 days in the past • 5 minute learn
. .
Canadian and United States flags are proven alongside the Windsor riverfront close to the Ambassador Bridge on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has been suggesting including one other star to the U.S. flag — by turning Canada into the 51st state. Picture by Dan Janisse / Ontario Chronicle
Article content material
Windsor leaders are warning of “some pain” that may be anticipated with Donald Trump’s return to the White Home, however additionally they urge Canada to push again in opposition to tariff threats and musings about Canada becoming a member of the U.S.
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated that he intends to place “substantial” tariffs on items from Canada and Mexico, however added he might use “economic force” to make Canada be part of america. Trump additionally mentioned he would relatively see vehicles inbuilt Detroit relatively than the present built-in continental auto provide chain, one which advantages Windsor as a significant auto sector centre.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
.
Limitless on-line entry to articles from throughout Canada with one account.Get unique entry to the Ontario Chronicle ePaper, an digital duplicate of the print version that you could share, obtain and touch upon.Take pleasure in insights and behind-the-scenes evaluation from our award-winning journalists.Assist native journalists and the following era of journalists.Each day puzzles together with the New York Occasions Crossword.
.
Limitless on-line entry to articles from throughout Canada with one account.Get unique entry to the Ontario Chronicle ePaper, an digital duplicate of the print version that you could share, obtain and touch upon.Take pleasure in insights and behind-the-scenes evaluation from our award-winning journalists.Assist native journalists and the following era of journalists.Each day puzzles together with the New York Occasions Crossword.
.
….
.
.
Entry articles from throughout Canada with one accountShare your ideas and be part of the dialog within the commentsEnjoy further articles per monthGet electronic mail updates out of your favorite authors
or
Article content material
Some native officers who spoke with the Star are urging extra Canadian leaders to talk out to counter false info, and there’s an expectation that U.S. corporations problem tariffs in court docket.
Tariffs would have a significant affect on that offer chain system and on a border metropolis like Windsor, with auto elements crossing the border a number of instances for every car.
Canada’s leaders should deal with false info getting used to justify new tariffs, mentioned John D’Agnolo, president of Unifor Native 200, which represents auto trade employees at Ford in Windsor, in addition to different corporations in Southwestern Ontario.
“Our governments need to step up to the plate and start countering anything they say,” D’Agnolo instructed the Star.
“(Trump) just likes to throw threats out and throw out challenges to create a lot of drama, and we can’t have it. Our country has to stand up to threats like that and just tell them, ‘All due respect, we do a lot of trade with you, including the pipelines in Alberta.’ We have to make sure that we tell them that that’s not going to happen.”
However D’Agnolo mentioned auto corporations aren’t prone to drastically change their plans primarily based on one four-year time period for Trump.
Headline Information
!
Article content material
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
“(Auto companies) are looking long-term. They’re not looking short-term when they’re investing billions of dollars into new programs. They’ve got to make sure that they look at the whole picture.”
The occasion in energy within the U.S. has modified thrice since Barack Obama was final president in 2017, so a one-term president isn’t going to pressure auto corporations to make main adjustments to their decision-making, he mentioned.
D’Agnolo famous that in Trump’s first time period as president, tariffs had been imposed on imported aluminum. Canada retaliated with tariffs on some U.S. imports and was given an exemption from aluminum tariffs lower than a 12 months later.
Ought to Trump place extreme tariffs on Canadian auto imports, Automotive Components Producers’ Affiliation president Flavio Volpe mentioned he would count on auto corporations in america to problem them in court docket.
When the Ambassador Bridge was blocked by protesters in early 2022, stopping lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} in commerce day by day, the AMPA received an emergency injunction by arguing the blockade “caused permanent damage to companies,” Volpe mentioned.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
“American companies … would seek emergency injunctions in court, and if I was running those companies, that’s where we would end up rather quickly,” he mentioned.
“If somebody used a legal instrument… to stop your goods from being sold and gave preference and precedence to your competition, you have a fiduciary obligation to go to court or go to Washington, or both,” Volpe mentioned.
“If I’m a shareholder, and that happens and I don’t hear that, I push for change.”
Conservative Get together Chief Pierre Poilievre’s response to Trump on Tuesday, through which he mentioned “Canada will never be the 51st state of the U.S.,” was efficient, mentioned Volpe.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who introduced this week he plans to resign when a brand new chief is chosen for the Liberal Get together, posted on social media there’s “not a snowball’s chance in hell” that Canada will be part of the U.S.
“We know well from Trump 1.0 (his method) is to seek out weakness and pick the scab,” mentioned Volpe. Uncertainty within the Liberal authorities’s management is a weak spot, he mentioned.
WINDSOR, ONT: JANUARY 8, 2025 — The Windsor riverfront alongside the Detroit River is proven on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 with downtown Detroit within the background. Picture by Dan Janisse / Ontario Chronicle
Nonetheless, Trump’s feedback, whether or not or not he follows by, will probably have an impact, Volpe mentioned.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
“I think his comments are going to affect the markets, and that’s important for auto companies, because they’re publicly trading their share values.
“(Markets are) an important tool for shepherding the type of capital they need for new investment, or mergers and acquisitions, or to stave off tough times. So you’re going to bet that any of those companies are going to be absolutely watching the markets very, very tightly, and they’ll have a short- and long-term plan on Trump.”
Can corporations be browbeaten by Trump into making selections favouring funding within the U.S. throughout the president’s time period? “I don’t think there’s a clear answer to that,” mentioned Volpe.
Trump has promised to finish environmental incentives, together with these aimed toward electrical car batteries. Automobile manufacturing slowed to 1.3 million vehicles final 12 months, down from two million in 2018, largely as a result of slowdown in demand for EV automobiles.
However the auto sector additionally stands poised to supply EV expertise for the U.S.’s army. “So if you’re hurting the EV transition, you’re hurting your strategic capability to be flexible in the new world,” Volpe mentioned, noting that China is shifting quick on EV expertise.
This commercial has not loaded but, however your article continues under.
Article content material
MP Brian Masse (NDP — Windsor West), mentioned Canadians should put together for Trump’s actions.
“There is no doubt that he’s going to use every opportunity to … use bully tactics to get manufacturers and investors to only consider the United States,” Masse mentioned.
“I strongly believe, for the auto sector, we should be examining right now domestic procurement policies for fleet purchases for municipalities, provinces and federal government, to see what products that are made in Canada in our auto sector fit the needs of addressing our goals of increasing, not only just our production, but also stabilizing,” within the face of tariffs, he mentioned.
“Because clearly there’s going to be some pain.”
Advisable from Editorial
Trump’s enormous tariff threats not about commerce however border safety, Windsor observers warn
Brown-John: Mr. Trump, how about we flip U.S. states into Canadian provinces?
Visitor column: Trump might be unhealthy, however probably survivable
Canada offers a bonus for the auto trade due to the decrease Canadian greenback and authorities health-care advantages, relatively than advantages offered by auto corporations, which ends up in a more healthy workforce, Masse mentioned.
“We want more strength and response with regards to planning, organizing, how we’re going to … get prepared to do some amelioration for industries that are affected.”
Requested if there was potential for Canada to lose some funding selections to the U.S. throughout Trump’s time period, Masse replied: “That’s a very real possibility.”
He reiterated his name for a nationwide auto technique to set measurable targets and targets for investments.
bamacleod
Article content material
Share this text in your social community
