Chrystia Freeland

Now that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party have joined the chorus calling for more action against Chinese imports, a key decision facing Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland this month just got a little easier. Cross-party consensus on the wisdom of lining up with the Biden administration’s incoming tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles provides the government with more political cover. But there’s still a risk of incoming flak. …That doesn’t always matter to lobbyists working for powerful industries. For example, softwood lumber duties on Canadian 2x4s have driven up the cost of housing construction in the U.S. for years. They’re still in place — just went up again, in fact — and remain a major cross-border trade irritant. …What will Freeland do? …Freeland’s most expedient option is to simply use her authority as minister to levy surtaxes to match the American tariffs. Consistency across the CUSMA zone would be a plus.