Why Canada’s allies in DC are pushing back against Trump’s tariffs

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OTTAWA — With only days before the first round of tariffs take effect, Canada’s allies in Washington, D.C. are pushing for U.S. President Donald Trump to permanently rescind the measures, arguing a trade war would cause economic harm on both sides of the border.

In an interview with the National Post, U.S. Congressman Tim Kennedy, a Democrat in the Buffalo-Niagara region, said he and dozens of other representatives are fighting to get Trump to reverse his decision to impose tariffs on their northern neighbour.

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“A tariff on Canada is a tax on Americans, and it sets off a trade war unnecessarily with our greatest ally and our greatest trading partner,” he said. “Our economies are intimately intertwined, and we ought to be enhancing that relationship, not destroying it.”

Kennedy knows the effects of tariffs would be devastating for his constituents. Trade with Canada supports more than 27,000 jobs in his district, which sees $608 million in goods purchased by Canada every year, according to data from the Canadian government.

The Congressman said he has been mobilizing local leaders and businesses in the Buffalo-Niagara region, rallying support to write to the Trump administration and advancing legislation to require U.S. congressional approval of new tariffs on U.S. allies.

Kennedy also held a meeting with Canadian premiers during their trip to Washington D.C. earlier this month.

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“I’m doing everything in my power to preserve our relationship with Canada,” he said.

Kennedy said that despite Trump’s big talk, “he doesn’t speak for all of us.”

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“We, on this side of the border, are equally as disturbed with his actions, and we’re fighting against them,” he said.

Trump announced last November he would instead be slapping 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada when he would take office on Jan. 20. He then pushed back that deadline to Feb. 1, adding energy imports would be subject to a lower tariff of 10 per cent.

On Jan. 31, the day before the tariffs were set to take effect, Kennedy stood with local business leaders representing Western New York’s economy to warn Americans of the dire consequences of entering a trade war that would hurt the Buffalo-Niagara region.

On Feb. 1, the White House announced the tariffs would go into effect three days later. But on Feb. 3, less than 12 hours before they were set to take effect, Trump agreed to a 30-day reprieve on the tariffs, until March 4, in exchange for tougher measures at the border.

Just as the pause was announced, Kennedy sent a letter alongside 60 Democratic colleagues in Congress urging the Trump administration to rescind its executive order.

“At a time when Americans are struggling to pay bills and put food on the table, the last thing they need is higher prices,” read the letter.

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Since then, Trump has threatened to impose extra tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, on Canada’s automobile sector and to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on Canada’s digital services tax among other things.

Kennedy insisted Americans will be feeling the pain of tariffs too. The Canadian government has already said it has $155 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs ready to be implemented, which will drive up prices for U.S. consumers.

“So, entering into a trade war is absolutely counterproductive to all of the promises that were made by the President of the United States in his campaign, which was to drive down the costs of goods and services,” Kennedy said.

The efforts are also ongoing at a legislative level at the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans hold 218 seats and the Democrats, 215.

Democratic U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tim Kaine introduced the Stopping Tariffs on Allies and Bolstering Legislative Exercise of (STABLE) Trade Policy Act, which would reclaim congressional authority over trade policy with its free trade partners.

“Congress gave the president the authority to impose tariffs so that he could combat our enemies in the event of a national security crisis, not so that he could pursue grudges against our allies and neighbours,” said Coons, senator from Delaware, in a press release.

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“If the president is going abuse this power to bully and coerce our allies, Congress should take this authority back,” he added.

Kennedy said the bill has had “an incredible amount of support in the House of Representatives,” particularly from the Democratic caucus, and that they would only need the support of three Republicans for the STABLE Trade Policy Act to pass in Congress.

Kennedy said punishing Canada with tariffs “makes no sense whatsoever.”

“Jobs will be lost. Businesses will be hurt. Our relationship that spans over 200 years with our greatest ally is being damaged all because of a nonsensical approach to dealing with our economy by a president who’s going unchecked by his own party,” he said.

With the March 4 deadline fast approaching, the Congressman is fully aware that the public outcry in the U.S. against tariffs will have to be heard loud and clear — once again.

“My hope is that cooler heads prevail in all of this.”

National Post
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