U.S. Should Reconsider Tariffs on Mexico, Canada

The Bay Area Council today (March 5) issued the following statement expressing high concern at the imposition of U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico, California’s two largest trading partners. The statement came shortly before news that automakers would be excluded from the tariffs for one month, but overall concerns about the use of tariffs remain.

“The North American market is the strongest and most dynamic in the world, which has been achieved through the successful integration of its three economies,” said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “Forty percent of the value of products imported to the U.S. from Mexico is composed of imports from the United States, and our border regions are true binational economies. These tariffs will raise costs for businesses and consumers in the United States and throughout North America and will do nothing to increase our global competitiveness. We urge the administration to reconsider these tariffs and to work with our Canadian and Mexican partners to ensure that the North American economy, with the United States at its heart, remains the most competitive in the world.”