“An imposition of tariffs on autos would fundamentally change the relationship between Canada and the United States for a long time to come.” — David MacNaughton, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States
[President Trump’s] Saturday night tweetstorm levelled a threat to impose a similar series of hefty tariffs on automobiles — a product at the centre of a $135-billion two-way Canada-U.S. trade. If Mr. Trump takes that step, it’s not just the end of NAFTA, but the start of a massive U.S. protectionist wall that could tip Canada, perhaps the world, into recession.” — Globe & Mail, June 10, 2018
“It would be a tariff paid for by American consumers who buy cars made mostly from American parts by American companies. That’s a shotgun blast where no pellet is left unwasted. It would hit a lot of American feet.” — Flavio Volpe, President, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association
“As a General Motors dealership it would be pretty devastating, as probably about 75 per cent of the models we sell are U.S. manufactured. We would probably have to lose a third of our staff to weather the storm.” — Jared Williams, General Sales Manager at Jack Carter Chevrolet in Calgary, CBC News.
“We will continue to make arguments based on logic and common sense and hope that eventually they will prevail against an administration that doesn’t always align itself around those principles.” — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau press conference after the U.S. imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum
“I predicted that there would be moments of drama. And I also spoke about our confidence that, at the end of the day, the economic logic behind this relationship meant we really believed it was going to be possible to modernize NAFTA in a way that was good for everyone.” — Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maclean’s magazine, Oct. 5, 2018
