The official signing last week of the trilateral trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico prompted a statement of support and advice for the federal government from the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA).
The federal government signed the agreement but are still not happy the U.S. has not lifted tariffs on steel and aluminum. The CVMA echoes those concerns.
In its message of congratulations to the government, the CVMA said: “This trilateral agreement provides a workable framework to support the highly integrated North American automotive industry. However, we urge the government to continue its efforts to remove the steel and aluminum tariffs as quickly as possible, which are undermining the spirit of the agreement, in order to achieve the full potential of this modern new agreement.”
The federal government has been pressing the Trump administration to remove the tariffs, which led to some rumblings that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might skip last week’s official USMCA signing ceremony at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The CVMA is an industry association that represents manufacturers of light and heavy duty motor vehicles. Collectively its members operate five vehicle assembly plants, plus engine and component plants, and have more than 1300 dealerships.
