The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, has urged the federal government to place a 100 percent tariff on electric vehicles produced in China, stating that failure to do so could put jobs at “risk” in the province.
In June, the U.S. announced that it wanted to place new tariffs of over 100 percent on Chinese made electrical vehicles but the Canadian government has not yet revealed whether it plans to do the same.
In a recent statement, Ford urged the feds to “immediately match or exceed” the U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, which will apply to some other goods too.
Ford said: “Taking every advantage of low labour standards and dirty energy, China is flooding the market with artificially cheap electric vehicles. Unless we act fast, we risk Ontario and Canadian jobs.”
Ford noted that Ontario has secured $43 billion of investments in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, calling it an “all-hands-on-deck achievement.”
He however stated that “we can never take our progress for granted.”
The statement read: “Now’s the time to work with our U.S. partners to deepen and strengthen home-grown, U.S.-Canada supply chains. Now’s the time to protect good, hard-earned Ontario and Canadian jobs by matching U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.”
Currently, Chinese products do not account for a significant portion of Canada’s electrical vehicle market, though the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association has hinted that they could become one “on the horizon,” having already made important inroads in the European market.