The Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce (WECC) has weighed in on the tariff agreement reached between Canada and China.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday that after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, a "preliminary" agreement in principle was reached.
Canada agreed to allow the importation of up to 49,000 electric vehicles made in China at a tariff of 6.1 per cent. In return, China agreed to cut canola seed duties from 84 per cent to 15 per cent by March 1.
In a statement on Friday, the WECC acknowledged the agreement as "a significant shift in Canada’s efforts to stabilize relations with China and rebuild export opportunities."
The Chamber said, however, that the deal does not address what is happening closer to home, as Windsor-Essex is tied to the United States and is feeling the effects of the trade dispute with the Trump administration.
"Ontario Premier Doug Ford has warned that increased access for low-cost Chinese EVs could pressure domestic manufacturers and potentially affect access to the U.S. market, Canada’s largest export destination and the backbone of Ontario’s auto economy," read the statement. "These concerns are particularly relevant to Windsor-Essex, where thousands of jobs and more than 1,800 supply chain firms rely on stable, friction-free North–South trade."
While the Chamber is not criticizing the deal with China, it said it will continue to push for and advocate for investment in Windsor-Essex and that the cross-border economy must be a priority.
"We support diversifying export markets as a long-term resilience strategy, but diversification must grow our region’s GDP, not simply redirect volumes from one partner to another," read the statement. "A strong Canada-US relationship means a strong Windsor-Essex economy."
