Randy Hoback – Member of Parliament Report
When a “Buy American” plan was announced by President Obama, the Conservative government at the time leveraged our strong relationship to allow Canadian companies to continue participating in U.S. government projects.
But under Justin Trudeau, relations with the US have deteriorated, with disastrous consequences for Canadian workers.
Just this year, we have had the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline; the threatened shutdown of Line 5; trade challenges on dairy quotas; a doubling of the softwood lumber tariffs; and most recently, the Biden Administration is proposing a $12,500 tax credit for electric vehicles assembled in the US, a step that will inevitably deter automakers from building their cars in Canadian plants.
Under Joe Biden’s new “Buy American” protectionist policy, Canadian companies who currently provide a range of manufactured products for U.S. public works projects and our auto manufacturing sector face troubled times ahead. These actions put hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs at risk, including in my home province of Saskatchewan.
Yet the silence from Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government is deafening. The failure by the Trudeau Liberals to stand up for Canadian jobs has very real consequences for Canadian auto, manufacturing, steel, and aluminum workers coast to coast.
This at a time when household budgets are already stretched thin as the cost of living skyrockets. Families, single-parents, and seniors are trying to figure out what essential item they can save on, like gas, groceries, and heating. They need to know that their job is not in jeopardy too.
Unfortunately, Justin Trudeau didn’t earn a single concession during the recent Three Amigos summit. Mr. Trudeau’s approach to these threats has been to play down their seriousness and to sound hopeful. Downplaying these threats and being hopeful is not a plan to protect Canadian jobs.
Unlike the federal Liberals, Canada’s Conservatives will be the voice of Canadian workers. The government needs to work collaboratively with the U.S. to build resilient North American supply chains. We need to see an economic recovery that includes all sectors, all regions, and one that leaves no Canadian worker behind. That’s what we will continue to fight for.
When North American leaders met in Washington, D.C. recently for the Three Amigos Summit, Canadian workers needed to see more than a handshake – they need certainty.
They needed to see real action that protects Canadian jobs. Once again, this Prime Minister failed.
