‘Needs to be fair’: Premier Doug Ford criticizes Mexico over trade

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has some strong words for Mexico regarding its trade agreement with Canada and the United States.

In a statement, Ford criticized Mexico for becoming a “backdoor for Chinese cars, auto parts, and other products,” saying it was putting Canadian and American markets and workers at risk.

“If Mexico won’t fight transshipment by, at the very least, matching Canadian and American tariffs on Chinese imports, they shouldn’t have a seat at the table or enjoy access to the largest economy in the world,” Ford said on Tuesday.

“Instead, we must prioritize the closest economic partnership on earth by directly negotiating a bilateral U.S.-Canada free trade agreement that puts U.S. and Canadian workers first.”

The Premier’s rant comes one week after Donald Trump was re-elected president.

One of Trump’s campaign promises was a 10 per cent tariff on all goods imported into the U.S. Trump also campaigned on deporting millions of illegal immigrants, stoking fear that his second term could hurt the Canadian economy and cause a sudden influx of migrants at the border.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USMCA, is coming up for review, and Mexico has made legal changes that Trump could seize on to demand a re-negotiation of parts of the deal. Some of Trump’s most prominent policy concerns – restoring U.S. jobs and the increasing rivalry with China — also run through Mexico.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the trade policies of Canada and the U.S. under president-elect Trump align. Trudeau alluded to the fact that there’s a lot that Canada and the U.S. can do to compete successfully with the world, saying the interconnectedness between the country’s supply chains means tariffs will inevitably hurt American jobs as well.

With files from The Associated Press