Trade Cases
Freeland: No Timeline for U.S. Removal of Section 232
Written by Tim Triplett
October 23, 2018
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says it would be in the best interest of both Canada and the United States to lift tariffs the countries now impose on each other, but she offered no timeline on when that might occur.
Responding to a press question yesterday on the prospects that the U.S. Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum might be lifted soon, Freeland reiterated Canada’s view of the tariffs. “We believe these measures to be unjustified and illegal, and that is why we are challenging them at the WTO…. That is why Canada imposed July 1 a measured dollar-for-dollar retaliatory response.
“We also think that it is overwhelmingly in the best interest of both Canada and the United States for these reciprocal tariffs to be lifted,” she added. “It is certainly reasonable to think that with…the agreement in principal around the new trade deal, that positive momentum should bring Canada and the United States to simply say it is time to lift these tariffs.” But she did not speculate on when that might happen.
Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Trade Cases
Leibowitz: Trump takes aim at trade with a tariff ‘punt gun’
The tariffs are intended to produce more investment and jobs in US manufacturing. But first, there will be a cosmic change, potentially wiping out millions of jobs in the short run. While administration officials will no doubt cringe at the comparison, it reminds me of the effort to undercut fossil fuels production to address climate change. Led by Democrats, the effort was to destroy fossil fuels so that renewable energy sources would have more space to grow. The result: inflation and electoral defeat in 2024.
Price: Expect new trade shocks as Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariff negotiations continue
President Trump cast a wide net with the proposed, reciprocal tariffs. The negotiating stage will be critical to determining the success of his strategy. And for those suffering tariff whiplash, don’t expect the pace of change to slow down just because the reciprocal tariffs are entering a negotiating phase.
SMU Survey: Less support seen for Trump tariff policies
Meanwhile, an increasing number think it's too early to say whether the penalties are going to bring more manufacturing to the US.
CRU: USW seeks exclusion for Canada from Trump’s tariffs
The union is also urging stronger enforcement against countries such as China which break trade rules, and a coordinated Canada-US strategy to protect union jobs across the North America
Price on trade: A lot happened last week – and it wasn’t all about tariffs
Should foreign investment be allowed to reshape the American steel Industry? Not to be lost in the recent on-again-off-again tariff frenzy, Nippon Steel’s proposed takeover of U.S. Steel has also found itself in President Trump’s crosshairs when it comes to trade and industrial policy. Nippon Steel initially announced its nearly $15-billion bid for U.S. Steel […]