The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) commends the Government of Canada’s new measures (READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE) to protect Canadian workers and key economic sectors from unfair Chinese trade practices.
Under these new measures, the Government of Canada will implement a 100-percent surtax on all Chinese-made electric vehicles starting on October 1, 2024. Additionally, the Government of Canada intends to apply a 25-percent surtax on imports of steel and aluminum products from China, effective October 15, 2024. The preliminary list of aluminum products can be viewed HERE and the final list will be published by October 1, 2024, after the public comment period.
Beyond the announced surtax’s, the Government of Canada will launch a 30-day consultation period for sectors critical to Canada’s future, including batteries, battery parts, semiconductors, solar products, and critical minerals. Additionally, the Government of Canada is announcing its intention to limit eligibility for the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles to products made in countries which have negotiated free trade agreements with Canada.
“While this is another good step in limiting the flood of unfairly traded materials into Canada, there must ultimately be a smelted and cast provision for all automotive products produced in North America to receive USMCA treatment,” said Jeff Henderson, President of the AEC. “A smelted and cast requirement on aluminum products will provide comprehensive relief to the entire value chain and support legitimate domestic manufacturing,” Henderson concluded.
About AEC
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) is a progressive trade association dedicated to advancing the effective use of aluminum extrusion in North America. AEC is committed to bringing comprehensive information about extrusion's characteristics, applications, environmental benefits, design and technology to users, product designers, engineers and the academic community. Further, AEC is focused on enhancing the ability of its members to meet the emerging demands of the market through sharing knowledge and best practices. For more information, visit www.aec.org and follow AEC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.
The AEC has led the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry in achieving level competition by winning tariff protection that offsets unfair trade practices of extruders/importers of aluminum profiles produced in China. The efforts have been of enormous value to domestic extruders and suppliers and may have saved the industry. Conservatively, AEC estimates 1.2 billion pounds per year of extrusions are being produced in the U.S. that would have otherwise been lost to China.
