US President Donald Trump decide Reimpose prices on foreign steel and aluminum imports are Rocking Canadian Industries, But can also give them a case of already seen.
During his first mandate in 2018, Trump stun the tasks on steel and aluminum while the United States was in the middle of the renegotiation of a free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
Trump cited these difficult talks at the time, suggesting that the two were linked.
This time, Trump is continuing an even more aggressive pricing strategy, which will probably inform negotiations for the next year’s planned examination of the Canada-United Canada Agreement (CUSMA).
Canada and Mexico are still trying to avoid more scanning prices on all exports to the United States which are currently pending until March.
Here’s how the first Trump steel and aluminum rates took place alongside the talks that led to CUSMA, and how we got to this point:
May 18, 2017: The Trump administration officially starts free trade talks by informing the congress that it will renegotiate the North American (NARC) free trade agreement within 90 days.
August 16, 2017: Alena negotiations officially start between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The talks drag for more than a year, Trump making major requests for American access to Canadian and Mexican markets. Canada is firm and even threatens to move away from negotiations several times.
March 2018: Trump announces his intention to impose a 25% rate on all imports of foreign steel and a tariff of 10% on aluminum imports, setting a date of June 1 for rights to take effect.
Trump says prices are necessary to protect American producers and US national security. He also says that Canada can avoid prices if a “new Alena and just agreement” is signed and reiterates its main requests for market access.
A week after his announcement, Trump said that Canada and Mexico will be exempt from the rates for an indefinite period.
April 30, 2018: Trump extends exemptions for Canada and Mexico for an additional 30 days to allow new negotiations, while signing exemptions for four other countries: Brazil, South Korea, Australia and Argentina.
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May 31, 2018: American prices in Canada and Mexico come into force, the Trump administration citing Alena negotiations taking “more time than we had hoped for”.
Canada announces its intention to impose reprisal prices in the United States
July 1, 2018: Canada’s reprisal rates come into force on 16.6 billion dollars in American exports to Canada. Targeted products include steel, aluminum, Harley Davidson motorcycles, American whiskey, orange juice in Florida and ketchup. The government deliberately targets products with large manufacturing bases in the states of key republicans that support Trump.
The manufacturer of stubborn steel pipes temporarily exhibits 40 workers and reorganizes its production in Sault Ste. Marie, have the first job losses publicly disclosed in Canada resulting from American steel prices.
September 30, 2018: Canada, the United States and Mexico announce that it has entered into an agreement on an update version of Alena, which will be known as the American-mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement, or CUSMA in Canada.
November 30, 2018: Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto officially signed the new trade agreement at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
January-March 2019: Canada, Mexico and even some American Republican legislators say they will not ratify Cusma until the Trump administration lifts its steel and aluminum prices.
In addition, Trump boasts that he forced Canada to accept the new trade agreement after threatening additional prices on vehicles and other products built in Canada.
May 17, 2019: The United States and Canada announce an agreement to raise prices on Canadian steel and aluminum, as well as on Canada’s reprisal rates. The two governments raise their respective prices three days later.
One day after the agreement announced, Canada says it will quickly work to ratify CUSMA.
August 2019: Statistics Canada publishes data on the impacts of trade prices showing that steel and aluminum exports to the United States strongly decreased after May 2018. Steel exports dropped by 38% in June 2018 and May 2019 were at their lowest level in almost 10 years. Aluminum exports were on average 19% lower per month during the year, prices were in place, compared to 2017, and decreased by more than 50% overall.
March 13, 2020: Parliament ratifies CUSMA by an accelerated process due to the Pandemic COVID-19, six weeks after Trump signed the agreement.
July 1, 2020: CUSMA officially takes effect.
August 6, 2020: Trump announces a plan to impose a new 10% price on Canadian aluminum imports, taking effect on August 16, 2020. Canada promises to retaliate.
September 15, 2020: The United States cancels prices, agreeing to withdraw current sanctions before Canada’s reprisal measures take effect.
May 2024: The US Tax Foundation publishes a report indicating that the prices of steel and aluminum during Trump’s first mandate had a negative impact on the American economy, causing approximately 75,000 job losses.
November 5, 2024: Trump won the re -election after promising several times during his presidential campaign that he will pursue an aggressive pricing policy during his second term. He also targeted the manufacture of the Canadian and Mexican car and promised to reopen Cusma to fight against “injustice” and the gaps exploited by China.
November 25, 2024: Trump threatens to impose 25% prices on Canadian and Mexican products on his first day in power, due to border security problems concerning fentanyl and illegal immigration. He later added the commercial imbalance between Canada and the United States to his list of reasons to impose prices.
December 2024: Canada announces a $ 1.3 billion plan to “strengthen border security” and disrupt the fentanyl flow. The government later claims that the plan will include new helicopters and other resources for the RCMP and the Canadian Border Services Agency.
January 20, 2025: Trump signs an executive decree that launches public consultations and studies on the impacts that CUSMA has had on American companies, in particular farmers. Reports are expected on April 1. Consultations are the first required step leading to the planned talks of the CUSMA journal scheduled for 2026.
February 1, 2025: Trump signs an executive decree to strike Canada with 25%prices, with a drop in energy rights of 10%.
Trudeau announces that Canada will respond with an immediate $ 30 billion reprisal package, which will be followed by $ 125 billion in American products in 21 days to give companies and supply chains to find alternatives. The provinces announce their own reprisal measures, including prohibitions on American commercial contracts and American alcohol sales.
February 3, 2025: The American prices against Canada and Mexico are delayed by 30 days, Trump affirming the border security concessions of the two countries. Canada and the provinces also stop their movements to retaliate.
February 9, 2025: Trump says that he will officially announce prices of 25% on all imports of steel and aluminum, including Canada and Mexico the next day.
February 10, 2025: Trump signs executive decrees to impose steel and aluminum prices from March 12. He explicitly says that there will be no exemptions, saying that several 2018 prices have been able to relaunch the American steel and aluminum industries.
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, said that previous steel and aluminum Trump prices have had a “devastating impact” on the industry, forcing 2,000 workers and 500 employers to count on the support of the government of ’emergency.
– with Canadian press files