STATEMENT FROM DENNIS DARBY, PRESIDENT & CEO, CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS & EXPORTERS REGARDING U.S. RECIPROCAL TARIFFS

OTTAWA, April 3, 2025 – The last several months have shaken the very foundation of North America’s deeply integrated manufacturing sector. Canadian and American manufacturers are not competitors but partners, co-producing goods that sustain millions of jobs and support thousands of communities across both countries.

Although Canada has, for now, avoided new levies under the reciprocal tariffs announced yesterday by the U.S. administration, the unjustified 25 per cent tariffs on automotive, steel and aluminum products remain in effect. These unfair measures continue to harm manufacturers, workers, supply chains, investment decisions, and overall business confidence.

Manufacturers urge both governments to work together to reinforce – rather than unravel – the North American manufacturing advantage by pursuing a comprehensive renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement to restore trade certainty and bolster industrial resilience across the continent.  We continue to call on the Government of Canada to ensure that retaliatory measures are strategic and targeted to minimize the collateral damage to Canadian manufacturers.