With a joint review of Canada’s free trade agreement with the US and Mexico coming up in 2026
Right, but we have ways to require all automakers to build safe vehicles, commonly known as “safety regulations” that apply to both foreign and domestic companies. The same minimum requirements apply to a Toyota built in Woodstock or a VinFast built in Vietnam. That has nothing to do with tariffs, which are just a tax on consumers on foreign imports. This has nothing to do with protecting Canadians and everything to do with protecting big business.
Oh I’m not concerned about the safety and quality aspect. GM, Ford et al have put out plenty of unsafe shitboxes in the past. I’m talking about the fact the outside companies are flat out not allowed to operate in China without forming a partnership with a Chinese company. It’s a simple rule that fuckd things up royally once all the ramifications of that play out.
This has nothing to do with protecting Canadians and everything to do with protecting big business
I think what no politician wants to admit is that car industry is a strategically important industry and has to be protected for geopolitical reasons alone. We need the manufacturing capability to maintain our industrial base as a hedge against any future conflict. (I lump it in with why you need domestic milk and food production, vaccine production, etc. When the going gets tough, you need that.)
That said, I do feel the bailouts from 2009/2010 were total horseshit and these companies got off scot-free. They’ve had ages to prepare to make EVs and squandered it, and now have to be protected by moves like this. We just end up paying for it, either through subsidies (eg. battery plants) or through the inflated prices of EVs.
