U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said he was clear about the exclusion of medium- and heavy-duty trucks from tariff negotiations with Canada.
Jamieson Greer Says U.S. Offered Canada Best Deal Available
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) on Wednesday, Greer said that the U.S. offered Canada the “best deal available to any country on the planet.” Speaking about the tariffs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks, Greer said that he had been speaking to Canadian officials.
“I’ve been clear about what we believed we could deliver, including about autos,” Greer said. “We have a Section 232 measure on autos and pickup trucks,” he added, touting a “separate action on medium and heavy trucks.”
He also said that the “effective tariff rates” were different. “I understand why the Canadians…want to have as much as they can get and try to expand concessions from the U.S,” Greer acknowledged, “but we are focused on doing what’s good for America and accommodating Canada to the extent we can,” he said.
Tariffs on Canadian Auto, Steel and Aluminum
Greer also outlined the importance of protecting the North American market with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the importance of steel and aluminum. Greer said the deal would have brought down tariffs on Steel and Aluminum to 25% from 50%.
“If we’re going to…lower our tariffs and give you the best deal in the world on steel and aluminum, we can’t have Canada be a place where you can get flooded with steel and aluminum from other countries and be used as a back door into the U.S.,” Greer said.
He also said that “steel, aluminum, autos” were “national security measures” for the U.S. that fell “within the exclusions within USMCA.” He also said that the USMCA originally had a provision where if one of the countries were to join a “free-trade agreement with a non-market economy country like China, that country could get kicked out of the deal.”
Greer also said that there were no talks taking place between the two countries. He said that the officials “don’t have open channels right now.”
Criticism of Trump
The President Donald Trump administration received widespread criticism following failed talks with Canada. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said that the 50% tariffs would result in more taxation of Michigan residents and could cause job losses in the state’s auto sector.
On the other hand, Michigan Democratic Party Senate Nominee Abdul El-Sayed said Trump was imposing 50% tariffs on Canada for “vanity.”
Economist Peter Schiff also slammed the decision to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, saying that the move would intensify the cost-of-living crisis that Americans are grappling with. Schiff was also critical of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to impose retaliatory tariffs on the U.S.
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