Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to see a bilateral trade deal between Canada and the U.S. if Mexico doesn’t crack down on “unfair” Chinese auto imports into North America.
“Free trade needs to be fair,” Ford said in a statement. “Since signing on to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Mexico has allowed itself to become a backdoor for Chinese cars, auto parts and other products into Canadian and American markets, putting Canadian and American workers’ livelihoods at risk while undermining our communities and doing enormous harm to our shared economic success.”
Ford made the comments days after U.S. voters handed a decisive win to Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. Trump has vowed to impose tariffs on trading partners and has said he would like to renegotiate the USMCA deal that was signed with Canada and Mexico to replace NAFTA in his first term.
“If Mexico won’t fight transshipment by, at the very least, matching Canadian and American tariffs on Chinese imports, they shouldn’t have a seat at the table or enjoy access to the largest economy in the world,” Ford said. “Instead, we must prioritize the closest economic partnership on earth by directly negotiating a bilateral U.S.-Canada free trade agreement that puts U.S. and Canadian workers first.”
Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday, Ford said Ontario has “1,000 per cent” more stake in the trade arrangement than any other jurisdiction and that the province would be the third-largest trading partner for the U.S. if it were a standalone country.
“You look at Mexico, they’re importing cheap products – undercutting our hard-working men and women not only here, but in the U.S. – from China,” Ford said. “They’re slapping a ‘Made in Mexico’ sticker on and shipping it up and taking our hard-working men and women’s jobs away from them. Unacceptable.”
He also said he’s discussed the issue with the other premiers.
Asked about Ford’s comments at a news conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said “just about all” of Canada’s partner democracies are concerned about “Chinese overcapacity around unfair trade practices that the Chinese economy is inflicting on the world” and are responding in different ways.
“We’re going to continue to work with partners like the United States and hopefully Mexico as well, to make sure that we are united in our desire to protect good jobs that are more responsible around the environment than they are in China, more responsible around labour practices and supporting families in meaningful ways,” Trudeau said.
“There’s lots of work to be doing, and that’s, I know, a big topic conversation that we’re going to have with the new American administration in the coming months.”
The prime minister did not say whether he thought a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. would be a good solution.
In a statement to CP24.com, the head of the biggest auto-sector union in Canada said Ford “raises an area of shared concern” for all North American auto workers and that auto workers here want to see Canada “aggressively” defending their jobs.
“The potential flood of Chinese vehicles into North America poses an immediate threat to jobs, auto plants, and the EV supply chain,” Unifor President Lana Payne said. “Canada and the U.S. are aligned, and have acted, but Mexico has held back.”
She said a “continent-wide strategy” is needed to address the threats facing the sector, and to protect workers and investments in the industry.
“With Mexico as a backdoor to Chinese imports, and a reckless tariff plan proposed by President-elect Trump, Canada must be aggressively defending jobs and our economy,” Payne said.
The Mexican embassy and Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Ford’s remarks.