my wife works at alta-steel in the manufacturing plant running cranes and testing steel (on the floor, not an office person).
I lot of their work is canadian and international but they suspect this is gonna have a noticeable effect on their business.
Multilateral trade deals with very different countries are gonna be problematic and it’s a wonder that NAFTA has lasted this long what with the huge wage disparities between Mexico and the rest of North America. Trump is right, NAFTA has been a disaster for the states in that huge numbers of businesses closed up and moved to Mexico to take advantage of the lower wages.
IMHO, I doubt you’ll see NAFTA re-negotiated. I think we’ll see a bilateral deal between Canada and the states. The supply management existing in the food and agriculture sectors will have to be changed and the softwood lumber issues will have to be ironed out as well, something that I’m sure can be done.
All this talk about Canada “ pushing back “ is a joke. We trade with them at their pleasure. They can ignore us and shut us out anytime they want. We have the advantage of being close and very similar in wants and needs to the USA. We better stitch up a deal because if we don’t, someone else will step up and replace us.
What would you do? Trudeau is delivering an appropriately measured response whether you like him or not.
Who would take our place as the principal US trading partner? North Korea? China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union are all in the same boat. The UK is not directly involved right now but are not keen on being first in with someone behaving badly. Same protectionism that was around before the great depression of the 30's. Maybe he will make friends with Venezuela and Cuba. I don't think we need to give an inch at this point anyway.
Everyone needs to calm down and realize that this is just a bargaining position and shortly, (particularly for Canada) , cooler heads will prevail and the USA and Canada will come to an arrangement and sign a bilateral deal that both countries can live with. There’s lots of states that stand to lose economically in a trade war with Canada and vice versa. The inclusion of Mexico in the agreement with their low wages and standards of living makes a trilateral agreement difficult. Canada and the USA are too similar in outlook and standards of living to be at odds for long.
Having trudeau and freeland standing there like they’re gonna lay down the law on the states is laughable. Tariffs on pickles and Hershey chocolate bars aren’t sending shivers down the spines of the Americans.
The USA will come back to the table, tell the Canadians to stop droning on about and tying gender equality and homosexual issues with trade and get serious about doing a deal. Canada will have to modify supply management and softwood lumber positions and all will be as it was. If they don’t, the Americans will change their position on content percentages in auto manufacturing and the auto industry north of the border will cease to exist. The liberals will have to face the facts that the auto and manufacturing industries in Ontario are far more important to Canada than the dairy and chicken farmers in Quebec, or the lumber industry in BC. And if you think that countries like Australia, Argentina, England and others won’t step in and fill in the gaps with the Americans, you’re mistaken.
obviously you are not in the expert / import trade biz! The US has so many subsidized industries its not funny and and only point out to our supply management dairy and poultry industries. I face it daily and the only way we can make our point strong is to fight fire with fire in this case. If we don't, that will set long term precedents that anyone can do anything to Canada and we will simply take it in the chin. Weather you like it or not NAFTA has a passing grade for both sides of the border at 75%. Sure it needs to be tweaked and negotiated to fit the current global environment but protectionism is not going to work anymore. As for imports to replace Canada, have you ever imported anything?? The countries you listed are subjected to quotas and tariffs and many many items into the US and in many case such as agri commodities total restrictions. The US consumer would lose their minds if they had to pay 200% duty on milk and cheese products from outside N.America.
The amercan consumer would never have to pay a 200% tariff on milk and cheese because they produce more than than they need domestically. Canada can huff and puff all it wants, but at the end of this the deals signed will be more beneficial to the states than the current situation or they won’t agree to it. If you think Canada or Mexico or the limp noodles in Europe are gonna lay down the law on the states you’re delusional. It amazes me that companies will drop their pants and bend over to do business in China, give up their intellectual property etc, yet get all pissy when the USA wants to renegotiate their trade deal. Like I said, everyone needs to calm down and let things settle. Cooler heads will prevail and a reasonable deal for everyone will get done. Trump is just stirring the pot and getting trade deals settled with friendly nations before he sets his sights on the real economic and trade manipulation perpetrated by China.