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July 18th, 2019

NDP Statement on New “Buy America” Provisions

The NDP Critic for International Trade Tracey Ramsey, issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration’s new “Buy American” provisions will hurt Canada’s manufacturing sector and workers by restricting the access Canadian producers have to the U.S. procurement market. This is a blow for the Canadian steel industry and the whole Canadian economy. Communities across Canada have been let down by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals failing to negotiate a trade deal that protects their jobs.

New Democrats know this could have been avoided if the Liberals had stood up to Trump in the NAFTA re-negotiation process. Instead of putting the interests of Canadian workers first, the Liberals withdrew their demand for access to the U.S. procurement market, and pushed forward the New NAFTA with devastating tariffs on our steel and aluminum still in place. The latest “Buy America” procurement provisions with a 95% domestic steel and iron threshold will restrict Canadians from bidding on many new contracts, jeopardizing our jobs and our highly integrated economies, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

What we have in front of us is more evidence of a Liberal government that has failed to stand up for Canadian workers and our steel sector. Once again, the Liberals failure to stand up for workers will result in losses that should have been avoided. When will they start fighting for good paying jobs instead of caving to Donald Trump?

New Democrats know that it doesn’t have to be this way. An NDP government will stand up and defend Canadian workers and communities from all unfair trading practices.”