Ottawa -
Within the grand scheme of a risky and unpredictable world, the Canada-U.S. commerce relationship is wholesome and solely rising stronger, its two senior curators insisted Thursday throughout a uncommon joint look in Ottawa.
U.S. Commerce Consultant Katherine Tai was within the nationwide capital for a two-day go to, her first to Canada since President Joe Biden appointed her as his principal worldwide commerce emissary final March.
Showing alongside Commerce Minister Mary Ng, Tai acknowledged the varied and long-standing irritants that exist between the 2 international locations, however mentioned they pale compared to the worldwide challenges looming over the continent.
"When you zoom out, and also you take a look at the truth that the USA and Canada exist within the bigger world, you then begin to see the true energy and sturdiness of this relationship," Tai mentioned.
She cited their united entrance in serving to Ukraine in its battle with Russia and the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Settlement as "foundational pillars" of their collective effort to work collectively for one another's mutual profit.
"Within the context of North America, it is rather clear that the success of your economic system, your employees, means success for our economic system and our employees, and vice versa," Tai mentioned.
"Insurance policies that erode your industries are the identical insurance policies that erode our industries."
Tai additionally talked about the particular problem of photo voltaic panels -- a dispute decision panel dominated in February that Trump-era tariffs on Canadian-made photo voltaic merchandise have been a violation of the USMCA, recognized in Canada as CUSMA.
The Biden administration has been sustaining the earlier president's tariffs on imports of sure photo voltaic elements, albeit at decrease ranges, in an effort to assist U.S. producers catch as much as opponents like China.
The panel's ultimate report discovered that by protecting Canadian exports -- a comparatively tiny section of the full -- topic to its so-called "safeguard measures," the U.S. was in violation of its obligations beneath the deal.
"That's one other instance the place in the event you zoom in shut, you see that as a dispute between the 2 of us," Tai mentioned.
"Zoom out, and also you understand that we're on this collectively by way of competing inside a world the place we have got opponents which might be actually fierce and we have to work collectively to fulfill these challenges."
She turned taciturn with reference to Purchase American and Purchase America, a longtime protectionist doctrine within the U.S. that Biden has embraced enthusiastically in terms of financing federal infrastructure tasks.
Enterprise leaders in Canada concern the chilling impact that Biden's protectionist rhetoric is having on the power of contractors and suppliers north of the border to win contracts within the U.S., each within the non-public sector in addition to at decrease ranges of presidency.
"Let's simply be very, very clear: these are federal procurement insurance policies, and Canada has federal procurement insurance policies as properly," Tai mentioned.
"I would not characterize that championship by President Biden as a barrier that the administration is throwing into the U.S.-Canadian commerce relationship."
Dennis Darby, chief govt of Canadian Producers and Exporters, occurred to be testifying Thursday earlier than the Home of Commons transport committee with reference to provide chain vulnerabilities.
"We all know our authorities and our diplomatic corps are onerous at work mitigating the protectionist tendencies of the present administration within the U.S., (however) we've to maintain up the stress," Darby informed the committee.
"We have to strategy this as Purchase North America, not Purchase America -- it is a method for us to proceed to be a part of their provide chain, and to shorten their provide chain."
Ng mentioned she's trying ahead to exhibiting her counterpart a GM facility Friday in Markham, Ont., the place they count on to see built-in Canada-U.S. provide chains in motion.
With the business shifting quickly and dramatically in direction of electrical automobiles, the Canada and U.S. auto sectors are about to grow to be much more intently intertwined, she predicted.
"We have been constructing autos for over 100 years -- and for the final 50 years, very intentionally so, via deliberate insurance policies which have built-in our auto provide chains, and the longer term is electrical," Ng mentioned.
"We're going to spend money on, after all, essential minerals, which is the start of that worth chain, however from essential minerals to electrical batteries that can go into these electrical automobiles, we'll be working with the USA on this."
The pair have been scheduled to fulfill with union leaders later Thursday, in addition to the house owners of small and medium-sized companies Friday in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Could 5, 2022.
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