Premier Doug Ford is calling on the federal government to slap high tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicle imports amid rising concerns that cheap cars could saturate the Canadian market and undercut Ontario’s EV manufacturing sector, along with the billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies to support it.
On Thursday, Ford released a statement warning that China was “flooding” the country with “artificially cheap electric vehicles” that could put auto jobs at risk in Ontario.
“I’m calling on the federal government to immediately match or exceed U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, including at least a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles,” Ford said.
“Unless we act fast, we risk Ontario and Canadian jobs.”The EU recently threatened to impose tariffs up to 38 per cent on imported Chinese EVs starting on July 4. That came after the U.S. quadrupled important tariffs on electric vehicles made in China to 100 per cent in May.The premier’s call for tariffs follows a similar demand by a former diplomat. Last week, former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman urged Ottawa to join the U.S. and the EU in placing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
“I think what’s important is that Canada and the U.S. become aligned in some of these policies that take place globally, and we’re not always completely aligned,” Heyman said.
Along with the federal government, Ontario has announced billions of dollars in public money to reinvigorate the province’s auto manufacturing sector.