the latest

Brenda Swick Quoted by CBC News on Canada’s Retaliatory Tariffs

08/14/2018

Brenda Swick has been quoted by CBC News in an article titled “Getting Out From Under Canada’s Retaliatory Tariffs can be a ‘Heavy Lift,'” published on August 12.

Writes Janyce McGregor: “On May 31, the U.S. hit certain imports of Canadian steel and aluminum products with tariffs of 25 and 10 per cent, respectively, following an investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department conducted under the guise of a ‘national security’ probe. On July 1, Canada retaliated with a tariff list of its own, targeting $16.6 billion worth of U.S. imports of steel, aluminum and other products.”

“The industries that aren’t in steel and aluminum are getting sideswiped,” says Brenda. However, “there’s a lot of things the government can do to make its retaliation strategy more fair and transparent if Canada’s tit-for-tat trade battle drags on.”

Canadian businesses had a chance to argue their way off the list during a consultation process in June. Those that failed can try again to be excluded from the surtaxes through a remission process now underway.

Brenda stresses that “you’ve got to advocate … you’ve got to be in there. It’s not like you’re trying to say, ‘Oh, the government shouldn’t react.’ That’s kind of like treason. But it’s not fair that you bear the entire burden … that burden should be shared.”

Read the full article here.