The Trump administration dropped its 10 percent tariff on Canadian aluminum Tuesday on the eve of Canada’s planned retaliation, a move welcomed by the Quebec trade office in Atlanta.
The province, which alone supplies 40 percent of aluminum imported into U.S., used its network of eight offices across the U.S. to lobby against the tariffs imposed by Mr. Trump in August, saying they would make North American industry less competitive and lacked national-security grounds.
Georgia stood to see $173 million in aluminum product exports slapped with a 10 percent tariff by Canada, which had threatened dollar-for-dollar retaliation starting Sept. 16 if the U.S. did not relent. In light of the U.S. action, Canada said it would not move ahead with its own 10 percent levy.
Donald Leblanc, Quebec’s delegate in Atlanta, said he received a favorable response from industry groups across the South.
“All over the summer, the Quebec trade offices across the USA have teamed with the Canadian consulates to reach out to stakeholders impacted or soon to be by the tariffs. Most of them were not aware and many of them have been very responsive, contributing to the outreach effort,” Mr. Leblanc told Global Atlanta.
Echoing that note, Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said in a news conference Tuesday that the result was a “testament to the Team Canada approach.”
The news also came as Consul General Nadia Theodore, herself a trade expert headed for the private sector, said her goodbyes to the Southeast U.S. in separate virtual sendoffs from organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and the consulate.
Read more: Quebec’s Atlanta Office Joins Fight Against New U.S. Aluminum Tariffs
