“Government is now moving at the speed of business to address the current trade negotiation collapse. If the government did not prioritize speed, some businesses would not still be there by the time support rolls out.
For standing up, this is actually exactly what you’d expect. The U.S. Administration is punishing Canada — by punishing themselves — for the whole world to see. They’re seeking to make an example of Canada, even though everyone knows we’re their closest trading partner.
It’s a tornado of changes at once, intended to overwhelm. We’ll be evaluating the impacts in the days to come, and certainly affected North American companies will too.
Polls tell us Canadians are supportive of standing strong and getting to a good deal. Polls of Americans say this trade war is not a winner either. We can all see this state of play can’t last.
Ultimately, we will end up back at the table because the math is the same. Together, we’re stronger. Apart, we’re weaker. It will be on the U.S. government to justify to its businesses, workers and communities the price for them of going it alone and paying more to do it.”
- Candace Laing, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
