Carney calls White House discussions with Trump ‘constructive,’ but no resolution on tariffs

‘We shouldn’t goad him’

The auto industry has serious concerns about the possibility of tariffs on finished cars, says Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association.

Right now, Trump’s auto tariffs only apply to non-CUSMA-compliant vehicle parts.

Volpe said Canadian workers and suppliers in auto plant towns are worried that the longer the tariff dispute goes on, the less likely those finished cars are to be sold.

“If he actually achieves shutting down production in Canada and Mexico, it doesn’t mean he’s going to get new production in the U.S.,” Volpe added, saying what it probably means is that Trump is “going to bankrupt” GM, Ford and the U.S. branch of Dutch automaker Stellantis.

“We know he’s not going across those lines. We shouldn’t goad him, but we should be as disciplined and as patient as we were [in negotiating] on the auto parts side of it.”

Volpe said he hopes Carney will announce further meetings with Trump: “I want to know that we’ve set a date for the next game.”