Some Canadian politicians have been speaking out against the tariffs briefly imposed by the Trump administration last week.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump again postponed the 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and Canada until April 2. Canada’s immediate retaliatory tariffs will remain in place for now, but the second wave of retaliatory tariffs has been suspended.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Monday that the province is charging 25% more for electricity to 1.5 million American homes and businesses as an additional response to the U.S. tariffs.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens weighed in on the trade war on Stateside. He said that the tariff tumble has put a strain on the economic relationship between the U.S. and Canada. He also said the motivations behind the tariffs are unclear, considering that Trump has stated that the tariffs are intended to force Canada to eradicate synthetic opioids like fentanyl and stop people without legal status from entering the U.S. from Canada.
“It's a little disingenuous for us to watch some government leaders on weekend media in the United States saying that this was actually a war on drugs, not a war on on trade. But we know that that's not true," he said.
Dilkens said he and other Canadians hope that U.S. officials will sit down at the negotiating table to find a pathway to agreement to end the trade war.
“Let's not deal with discrete issues one by one. Let's sit down like we've done in the past when we negotiated the free trade agreement.”
Free trade deals, like the current United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, have been beneficial to all countries involved, according to Dilkens.
It has also created an interconnected economic system. Dilkens said that interconnection is exemplified by the energy and automotive industries, as vehicles and vehicle parts cross a U.S. border multiple times before they roll off the finish line.
“But it's also work to the benefit of workers and economies. All three economies have benefited from this expanded pie that we have created, and its efficient business will ship their products for continuous improvement to markets where it's more efficient to produce.”
Dilkens said he is frustrated with the tariff war and that the levies have been seen as an unprovoked punishment by a close ally and “friend.” He said the multiple postponements of the tariffs have left Canadian politicians and industries in a state of confusion.
“I mean, none of this makes any sense. And at the end of the day, guess who pays the price? Not Canada or the United States as a country per se, but the people.”
