Reuters reports that on August 1, the Canadian labor union Unifor called on the Canadian federal government to impose tariffs on all Chinese-made electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries and other parts, in line with some of the tariff measures already proposed by the United States. On July 2 of this year, Canada launched a 30-day public consultation period to discuss tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles after the United States and the European Union announced high tariffs on them. Currently, Canada is in the final stages of a review of state subsidies granted to Chinese automakers, and this public consultation period is expected to end this week, at which point new tariff measures could be introduced. “If left unchecked, China’s unfair support for its electric vehicle sector could lead to a dramatic increase in Canadian imports, which could adversely affect planned investment in electric vehicles and the transformation of the automotive sector in Canada,” the Canadian government noted.
On August 1, Unifor, Canada’s largest union representing private sector workers, said that the U.S. and the European Union have responded aggressively to the threat posed by unfairly subsidized Chinese imports, and now it is Canada’s turn.Unifor is calling for Canada to impose a surtax on Chinese-made electric cars on top of the existing 100% tariff rate, a 25% surtax on batteries, and a tariffs on imports of electric motors and battery materials.
As Canada considers imposing tariffs on products related to Chinese-made EVs, BYD recently met with the Canadian government to discuss the potential tariffs on EVs, as well as the company’s plans to sell passenger EVs in Canada.
A public document filed with Canada in late July shows that lobbyists representing BYD have registered with the Canadian federal and Ontario governments to “advise BYD on matters related to its entry into the Canadian market for the sale of electric passenger vehicles, the establishment of new businesses, and tariffs on electric vehicles.”