Hundreds of workers took to the streets of Vancouver on Thursday to make their voices heard amid the Canada-U.S. trade war.
Attendees at Unifor’s constitutional convention gathered at Jack Poole Plaza, outside the Vancouver Convention Centre to press the federal government to protect Canadian jobs.
Among other things, speakers voiced anger at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent decision to remove retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods that are covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Their message: Canada can win the fight against Donald Trump over tariffs.
“We will win, because we’re not afraid. It’s our job to take on (those) more powerful than us, who believe they’re more powerful than us, we did that all our life,” Unifor director Daniel Cloutier said.
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“We’re facing the tyrant, we’re facing the bully, we’re facing it with our strength, and we’ll continue to do it.”
Unifor national president Lana Payne delivered a similar message.
“This is not the time to back down, it is not the time to give in to Trump’s extortion. We need governments, all of them, to step up and fight back,” she said.
Carney rescinded most of Canada’s counter-tariffs on Aug. 22, saying the move was necessary to “intensify” stalled trade talks.
The prime minister justified the move saying Canada has the “best deal” with the U.S. right now, with a tariff rate that works out to 5.5 per cent averaging for the the fact 85 per cent of exports are currently tariff-exempt under CUSMA.
“With this decision, we’re respecting our agreement with the United States and we are matching what they have done. That puts us in a good position for the next phase of these negotiations,” he said.
Canada remains subject to a punishing 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum, a 35 per cent tariff on non-CUSMA compliant goods, and softwood lumber duties in excess of 35 per cent.
The union says the government needs to remember that despite Trump’s rhetoric, the U.S. does need Canadian products.
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