Gabriel Friedman

Ontario premier accused China of 'taking every advantage of cheap labour and dirty energy' Article content

Doug Ford accused China of 'taking every advantage of cheap labour and dirty energy' Article content — Doug Ford (@fordnation) June 20, 2024

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Doug Ford calls for tariffs of ‘at least' 100% on Chinese EVs to protect auto sector Doug Ford calls for tariffs of ‘at least' 100% on Chinese EVs to protect auto sector Ontario premier accused China of 'taking every advantage of cheap labour and dirty energy' Author of the article: Article content Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Ottawa to impose tariffs of at least 100 per cent on Chinese electric vehicles, accusing China “of artificially flooding the market with cheap vehicles.” Advertisement 2 Article content Doug Ford calls for tariffs of ‘at least' 100% on Chinese EVs to protect auto sector Back to video Canada already has a six per cent tariff on Chinese EVs, and the federal government has made no indications that it plans to change its policy. In a statement Thursday, Ford urged the federal government to adopt tariffs in line with the 100 per cent tariffs announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in May. “I'm calling on the federal government to immediately match or exceed U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, including at least a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles,” Ford said. He accused China of “taking every advantage of cheap labour and dirty energy,” adding that higher tariffs are urgently needed to protect Ontario's newly resurgent auto industry. Both Ontario and the federal government have committed billions of dollars, in direct and indirect support including production tax credits, to attract automakers to build out their electric vehicle supply chains here. Advertisement 3 Article content Already, Volkswagen AG Stellantis NV and Honda Motor Co. have committed to building battery cell manufacturing plants in Ontario while other auto and chemical companies are building assembly plants and midstream battery plants. In 2023, Canada imported about $2.2 billion worth of Chinese-made EVs , according to the Canadian government's online trade data. But those numbers started rising late last year and have continued to do so through 2024. At least two industry insiders — who had reviewed proprietary data about brand imports — said that bulk of those Chinese EVs would have been vehicles that Tesla Inc. or Volvo Cars manufactured in China. Meanwhile, electric vehicles sales in Canada continue to claim a double-digit share of new registrations , accounting for 12.5 per cent through the first three months of the year — down from 13.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to S&P Global Mobility, a research firm. Advertisement 4 Article content Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a press conference last month that U.S. tariffs against China — which cover not only EVs and related components, but critical minerals and even semiconductor chips — were the topic of much discussion at a meeting of G7 country finance ministers in Italy. But Freeland said Canada already has tools and policies in place to ensure that Canada does not become a backdoor for China to send EVs into the U.S., the end-market for many of the vehicles built in this country. She added that China “is not playing by the rules” and is producing an oversupply of critical minerals and certain manufactured products as a result of deliberate policies. Freeland did not say she would raise tariffs on Chinese EVs at that press conference. Advertisement 5 Article content Debate over potential Canadian tariffs heated up this week after a Global News article said former U.S. Ambassador to China Bruce Heymann was urging Ottawa to join his country in imposing tariffs on China. But Heymann told the Financial Post on Thursday that his comments were “wildly misinterpreted.” “All I said was it would be good if the U.S. or Canada harmonize our policies,” Heymann said, “which was interpreted as Canada should do what we do.” “I don't take a position, I leave it to each government to make a decision,” he said. Across Canada, opinions about tariffs are mixed. The ZEV mandate has no regard for where these vehicles are made Brian Kingston Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group, said tariffs are one option that the federal government should consider. Advertisement 6 Article content Kingston noted that the federal government currently wants all new vehicles sold in Canada to be zero-emission vehicles, and that policy may favour cheaper cars, wherever they're from. “Having policies that are disconnected from our industrial policy is what keeps me up at night,” he said. “The ZEV mandate has no regard for where these vehicles are made.” Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec's minister of the economy, innovation and energy, was vacationing in Italy on Thursday, but said he had heard Premier Ford's comments. Fitzgibbon said his province has its own emerging electric vehicle supply chain, with a battery cell manufacturing plant as well as midstream and downstream projects to support it. “I can understand why (Ford) is concerned about that,” he said, but added that he takes no official position on tariffs. Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the business news you need to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Doug Ford calls for tariffs of ‘at least' 100% on Chinese EVs to protect auto sector Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Loading... Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake This Week in Flyers

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