The Fédération des Chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) travelled to Washington during the week of January 20 to make the voice of our business community heard by American decision-makers, as well as by various economic and business groups in the United States. Since the fall, we have also been polling the Quebec business community on the potential impacts of a tariff war between Canada and the United States. The results are clear: Quebec Inc. is concerned, and expects strong leadership from the Quebec government.
76% of respondents believe that their company or member companies will be negatively affected by a price war.
90% of respondents want Canada to impose countermeasures, but 86% consider that the Quebec business community has not been sufficiently consulted.
It's also important to remember that we have considerable assets at our disposal to convince the American government, industries and businesses of the mutual benefits of trade with Quebec. We need to capitalize on these assets as part of our trade diplomacy efforts.
Firstly, nearly 65% of American raw aluminum imports come from Quebec, and several of the main importing states are Republican: Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, among others. Tariffs on Quebec aluminum would hit the U.S. automotive, aerospace, defense, construction, packaging, electrical and electronics industries hard.
The United States also imports over US$4 billion worth of aerospace products from Quebec every year. Among the main importing states are several Republicans: Texas, Ohio and Georgia, among others. Tariffs on Quebec aerospace products would hit the U.S. commercial aircraft, defense, space, avionics and electronics, UAV and flight simulation industries hard.
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