Can Canada just build its own cars? Experts say no — here's why, and what we could do instead

U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of tariffs on Canadian products and his imposition of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum have triggered alarm in the Canadian auto sector, with experts warning of possible work stoppages and supply chain disruptions.

But experts say building cars in Canada for the Canadian market isn't the answer — instead, Canada could look outside the "north-south" corridor in the face of tariffs. 

Canada has a strong and thriving manufacturing sector with five global auto manufacturers, said Brian Kingston, the president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association.

"But the whole industry has been designed around this north-south integration," he said.

"If we are entering an era of highly protected domestic markets … that is highly inefficient. It's extremely costly to do because Canada is a relatively small market."

Canadians purchase under two million vehicles each year – about the same number the country assembles, he said.

But the cars assembled in Canada are largely destined for the U.S. market.

Trump has expressed his disdain for those exports, saying he'd rather build the cars in Detroit.

The U.S. president has three times since his Jan. 20 inauguration threatened tariffs that would affect the North American auto industry.

He first promised 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods and a 10 per cent tariff on energy, all of which have been suspended for 30 days while Canada seeks to address U.S. concerns about border security.

Then on Monday, Trump told a Fox News reporter that he would levy a tariff of up to 100 per cent on Canadian-made automobiles, "if [the U.S. doesn't] make a deal with Canada."

That same day, he announced a 25 per cent tariff on imported steel and aluminum to take effect March 12.

But the auto industry has become so integrated over the past 60 years as a result of successive free trade agreements that car components travel across the Canada-U.S. border multiple times before a final vehicle rolls off the assembly line, said Dimitry Anastakis, a professor in the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Tariffs preventing the free flow of parts between Canada and the U.S. could lead to work stoppages due to cross-border supply chain disruptions, Kingston has said.