Canada's NDP

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November 30th, 2018

USMCA: Trudeau sacrifices tens of thousands of jobs and farm families

MONTREAL – The NDP is strongly denouncing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s betrayal to workers and farmers for signing on to the USMCA without securing the removal of a clause giving the U.S. power over Canada’s dairy sector, and without the suspension of crippling steel and aluminum tariffs.

"Trudeau has just sacrificed tens of thousands of good jobs in Canada. He has given in to Donald Trump and given up the last lever Canada had to protect farmers and tens of thousands of workers in Canada’s aluminum and steel industries,” said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “The Trudeau government promised repeatedly that it would defend Canada’s supply management system and fight against Trump’s illegal tariffs, but instead he has dealt a devastating blow to supply management and signed away any leverage we had to stop the tariffs.”

Trudeau has left Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum intact. The tariffs are devastating for the 35,000 workers directly employed in the sectors, and another 145,000 workers whose jobs depend on those sectors. Trudeau also signed the deal despite a clause that compromises Canadian sovereignty over its dairy industry, giving the U.S. power to interfere when Canada creates a new milk class in its supply management system.

“Trudeau’s Liberal government has betrayed workers and farmers in this country. They signed this deal without even having a finalized text, which puts in jeopardy the work done by Canadian negotiators,” added NDP International Trade Critic Tracey Ramsey. “And yet again, despite promises on transparency around the trade deals they sign on to – Trudeau has signed the USMCA without letting Canadians see the actual wording of the agreement. This is wrong.”