The federal government is imposing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles as well as aluminum and steel from China in an effort to protect domestic manufacturing.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in Halifax today that Canada will impose a 100-per-cent tariff on electric vehicles, along with 25 per cent tariffs on aluminum and steel.
“China has chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace, comprising the security of our critical industries and displacing dedicated Canadian auto and metal workers. So, we’re taking action to address that,” said Trudeau on Monday.
Chinese brands are not a major player in Canada’s EV market right now, but imports from China have exploded in the last year as Tesla switched from U.S. factories for its Canadian sales to its manufacturing plant in Shanghai.
U.S. President Joe Biden quadrupled the U.S. import tariff on Chinese-made EVs to 100 per cent in May, citing unfair subsidies from the Chinese government to Chinese EV makers.
The U.S. also hiked tariffs on a lengthy list of other Chinese products, including solar cells, computer chips, medical equipment, and lithium-ion batteries.
Trudeau says Canada is considering further measures, including computer chips and solar cells, to protect Canadian workers from China’s “unfair” non-market practices.
