Trump’s tariff ‘chaos’ keeps auto sector ‘on hold,’ union says
Global News
U.S. President Donald Trump won't raise incoming steel and aluminum tariffs from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, but other planned tariffs in April are still fuelling uncertainty.
The national president of Unifor says the ongoing “chaos” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting announcements on tariffs has led to investments in sectors like the auto industry being put on hold, posing a danger to the country’s economy.
Lana Payne’s comments come just minutes after the White House announced Tuesday Trump would not double incoming tariffs set for Wednesday on steel and aluminum, as he had threatened to do just hours earlier, instead keeping them at the original rate of 25 per cent.
“He likes chaos, he likes the drama, but the reality is is that his actions are having a real-time impact on Canadian workers and they will have a real-time impact on American workers,” said Payne, whose union represents people in various industries including steel and aluminum.
The 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum remain set to go into effect on Wednesday.
That’s on top of the 25 per cent sweeping tariffs that went into effect earlier this month — which were temporarily paused on some sectors last week — with additional “reciprocal” global tariffs set to hit on April 2.
Payne said that uncertainty is “dangerous” because it leads to businesses holding off on investment decisions.
“Companies every single day, particularly in manufacturing, particularly in the forest sector, you pick a place, they have to make an investment decision every year,” she said.
“Am I going to upgrade this mill? Am I going to put a new product here? Am I going to expand? All of those decisions are on hold right now for the most part and that is very damaging for the Canadian economy today, but also down the road.”
According to the Aluminum Association of Canada, the United States relies on Canada for 75 per cent of its imported primary aluminum.
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