“I can already feel the push for protective tariffs to keep out foreign products competing with domestic production. I’m very, very wary of something like that because I find that Australia has done well by having very low trade barriers. So that’s why I think maintaining competitiveness is important, and I would strongly caution against … Read More
Between 1861 and 1933, US tariffs on foreign imports averaged 50% – among the highest in the world. Tariffs also contributed nearly half of all government revenues. Federal income taxes were only introduced, after much opposition, in 1913. Many American politicians in the 19th century believed that US industry needed protection from its more efficient … Read More
Two bills aimed at protecting the beleaguered U.S. shrimp industry have been introduced in the current U.S. Congress: one in the House yesterday and one in the Senate on February 20, 2025. Both bills would restrain imports from foreign suppliers using different tools. The Senate bill—the text of which is currently unavailable—would tighten federal inspection … Read More
The integration of tariffs into US economic policy represents a long-term shift rather than a temporary adjustment. The global economic landscape, once defined by increasing trade liberalisation, is now entering an era of selective protectionism, where national interests drive policy decisions more aggressively than in past decades. Investors who recognise this shift and adapt their … Read More
World leaders from New Delhi to Brussels facing tariffs from President Donald Trump’s administration are watching Canada to get a preview of what happens when you hit back. Canadian officials have gone hostile in their responses to Trump’s trade war. Ontario Premier Doug Ford slapped a 25% charge on electricity exports to make power more … Read More
An Ontario ice cream manufacturer is freezing its prices, a response to the U.S. trade war it says is the greatest threat to Canada’s sovereignty since the Second World War. Chapman’s Ice Cream, the largest independent ice cream manufacturer in the country, is vowing not to increase prices for customers for the remainder of 2025 as U.S. … Read More
A small northern Ontario town is taking a stand against U.S. tariffs by urging residents, businesses and other municipalities to limit the purchase of American goods. The Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands passed a motion on Tuesday in response to what it calls “the unwarranted actions of the President of the United States,” … Read More
Parkdale Mills CEO Andy Warlick said: “Those who have defended free trade have unwillingly been supporters of blatant mercantilism. The only thing free has been their access to the U.S. market, something we do not enjoy in their markets due to high tariffs, a devalued currency that makes us too expensive, or VAT taxes that … Read More
Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries is economist Ian Fletcher’s latest published work with co-author Marc Fasteau, vice-chairman of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA). This new book follows up on Ian Fletcher’s excellent 2011 book Free Trade Doesn’t Work: What Should Replace it and … Read More
The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday hailed President Trump’s new tariffs, saying it’s necessary “to end the free trade disaster.” There’s been a lot of talk of these tariffs ‘disrupting’ the economy. But if corporate America chooses to price-gouge the American consumer or attack the American worker because they don’t want to pay their … Read More
