Although Canada and the US have agreed to a 30-day reprieve from the potential impacts of US-imposed tariffs, the OGCA strongly recommends that Canada utilize all of its retaliatory strength to fight these outlandish and destructive tariffs. It is clear that the US President is creating a position in which the US has more leverage in our relationship with them, which is a typical negotiation tactic. The issue arises when the US launches “across-the-board” tariffs that will not only disrupt but destroy multiple sectors and affect hundreds of thousands of people.
For the construction sector, these tariffs equate to: construction cost escalations, material delays, supply chain disruptions, cost overruns, and project delays. In short, these tariffs completely disrupt the already fragile supply chain that is still trying to recover from the impacts of the global pandemic. These tariffs will not yield the outcome the US believes they will. The OGCA strongly recommends that the US President eliminate this unilateral “bargaining chip” and re-establish the flow of products that our two countries share. The US must realize that they are jeopardizing one of the world’s most significant trading relationships!
The OGCA strongly supports the construction industry, our province, and our country in pushing back against any and all unilaterally imposed tariffs that directly upset the balance of trade, that has existed for decades, between Canada and the US.