“Tariffs were the wrong instrument when they were first imposed in 2018, and they remain the wrong instrument now”, the organization’s Senior Director of International Trade Mark Agnew said in the statement on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced during a campaign-style stop in Clyde, Ohio, that he has signed a proclamation re-imposing tariffs on Canadian aluminium.
Trump said Canadian aluminium producers broke a commitment made by the government not to flood the United States with aluminium imports when Washington lifter the first round of tariffs.
Trump added that he was advised by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that re-imposing tariffs is "absolutely necessary".
In May of 2019, the Trump administration lifted the 25 percent tariff on Canadian aluminium after reaching an agreement as part of the updated North American Free Trade Agreement – the USMCA - negotiations.