Business leaders in Windsor-Essex are preparing for the painful economic consequences if the president of the United States, Donald Trump, passes with 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods this week.
The high range tariffs, which Trump said they would arrive on Monday for Canada and Mexico on Tuesday, would be particularly painful for large automotive, manufacturing and agricultural industries of the southwest of Ontario due to their dependence on cross -border trade.
“If this really comes into force tomorrow worldwide in all goods, it is not necessary to say that it will be a challenging moment in Windsor-Essex, and on the American side of the border,” said Ryan Donally, head of the Regional Chamber of Commerce of Windsor-Essex.
Justin Falconer, CEO of Workforce Windsoressex, said the tariffs would have “a lasting impact” in the region, since more than 20 percent of the local workforce works on manufacturing, which is more than double the national average.
“Then, when the impacts of tariffs are observed in a community like Windsor-Essex, it is much greater than it would be in other communities,” said Falconer.
Like Donally, Falconer stressed that a commercial war would also harm consumers and businesses, something Canadian officials have tried to communicate Washington since Trump began to threaten tariffs earlier this year.
Windsor, the automotive capital of Canada, would be especially affected by rates due to the deeply integrated supply chainThey have said experts.
“By putting a tariff of this range, it will put an extreme stress in the supply chain,” said Brian Kingston, head of the Association of Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers.
“Automobile manufacturers do not have other suppliers that can find these components overnight, so the result is possible strikes in production. And, of course, tariffs are taxes, so prices will increase for vehicles not only for Americans, but also Canadians and Mexicans.”
In the last hours before Canada is beaten with tariffs of 25 percent of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, the Minister of International Trade, Mary Ng, says that Ottawa “will work to the deadline” to prevent tariffs being enacted. But, as Trump says that there is no “space” to Canada to avoid the tariffs of the blanket, NG says that Canada’s response will be “shocking”, “decisive” and “proportional.”
An obstacle faced by local companies is a lack of clarity about the situation: how long the tariffs could last, how exactly the governments would respond in Canada and if Trump will really exceed it, for example.
“Do you know what madness is? Although he said it’s happening tomorrow, I still don’t know if it will happen tomorrow,” said Donally. “It seems that with any tweet, with any emotion that decides that he wants to have, in any way that the wind is going to blow could change this.”
Trump previously delayed the implementation of tariffs after the initial successful negotiations with Mexican and Canadian counterparts.
“In this case, without being certain about anything, it is very difficult for companies climate that storm,” Donally said.
If Trump is going through this time, “it certainly will have a great unwanted effect on our local community,” said Falcone, and pointed out that 96 percent of all exports in the region are linked to the US. UU.
“Therefore, our companies will look for new customers and new buyers for their products potentially,” he said. “But, you know, we do not want that to happen. What we want is a stronger relationship of Canada-United States, one that has been built for decades and, if not centuries, these rates are really not desired.”
Donally said the camera has encouraged local businesses to try to be as flexible and creative as possible to discover new ways of operating.
‘But beyond that […] It is really difficult to send a message right now, “he said
“From a personal perspective, it’s heavy, right?” He said, adding that, regardless of the work that the Chamber has done together with Invest Windsoressex as part of a local commercial work force, it does not face the same discouraging perspectives as local business owners.
“But what I can say is that the people of my table, with Invest Windsoressex, we are fighting as much as we can, we are spending as many hours as possible to ensure that the voice of the business of Windsor-Issex in our community is being well represented in the highest and highest levels and throughout the world.
“We will continue to do it as long as necessary.”
