Thursday, February 2, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Trump’s tariff justification is patently absurd: Charles Boustany for Inside Policy

June 11, 2018
in Columns, Domestic Policy Program, Economic policy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy Program, In the Media, Inside Policy, Latest News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A

It is an overly expansive interpretation of US trade law, and frankly an abuse of power, for the Trump administration to impose unwarranted protectionist measures against steel and aluminum imports from allies such as Canada, writes former Republican Congressman Charles Boustany.

By Charles Boustany, June 11, 2018

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, declaring these imports to be a threat to the national security of the United States. This notion is patently absurd. Canadian and American troops have fought side by side in major wars, Canada is a NATO ally, and Canadian aluminum has been strategically important to the United States for many years. The United States and Canada have shared in the defence of North America in close coordination through NORAD and collaboration in intelligence matters.

The Trump administration cited Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 as the basis of authority for the investigation and imposition of these tariffs. In accordance with that law, the Department of Defense must be consulted regarding the use of national security justification for the imposition of these tariffs. In a memorandum, the Secretary of Defense called into question this national security justification for applying these tariffs to Canada and other key allies, in stating “DoD continues to be concerned about the negative impact on key allies regarding recommended options within the reports.”

The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 was signed by President John F. Kennedy on October 11, 1962. It was hailed as President Kennedy’s most significant legislative victory in his first two years in office. In remarks upon signing the legislation, Kennedy cited it as the most important piece of international legislation since the Marshall Plan.

This bipartisan legislation gave Kennedy unprecedented authority to reduce tariffs and to negotiate trade agreements. Kennedy went on to say “… it marks a decisive point for the future of our economy, for our relations with our friends and allies, and for the prospects of free institutions and free societies everywhere. This act recognizes, fully and completely, that we cannot protect our economy by stagnating behind tariff walls, but that the best protection possible is a mutual lowering of tariff barriers among friendly nations so that all may benefit from a free flow of goods.”

This bipartisan legislation was enacted during the height of the Cold War for the stated purposes of using trade agreements to:

  1. Stimulate the economic growth of the United States and maintain and enlarge foreign markets for products of the United States;
  2. Strengthen economic relations with foreign countries through the development of open and nondiscriminatory trading in the free world; and
  3. To prevent Communist economic penetration.

In Chapter 4 of this legislative act, Sections 231 and 232 addressed imports from Communist countries and the risk to national security. This same Section 232, a relic of the Cold War, is now being used by the Trump administration to impose tariffs on friends and allies under the pretense of protecting the national security of the United States.

This is an overly expansive interpretation of US trade law, and frankly an abuse of power to impose unwarranted protectionist measures against steel and aluminum imports from allies. The Trump administration is taking this abuse further by initiating an investigation to rationalize tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. It is ironic that the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 is being used to impose tariffs on allies, which is contrary to the Congressional intent of that law.

The Trump administration is taking this abuse further by initiating an investigation to rationalize tariffs on automobiles and auto parts.

Unilateral declaration of the national security exception is allowed under Article XXI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, but it is not to be used frivolously. In the absence of a true national security justification, the use of the national security exception will invite retaliation and could lead to proliferation of protectionist measures that would undermine the global trading system. The national security exception should not be used as an ordinary trade remedy or as a means to gain leverage in the course of trade negotiations – as Trump appears to be doing in the NAFTA negotiations.

The Trump administration has now embarked on this high-risk course. This will inevitably lead to a trade war if widespread retaliation against the United States occurs, which appears to be the case. The Trump administration is retreating from America’s leadership of the world’s trading system and alienating key allies in the process of doing so. This approach was on full display at the recent meeting of the G7 in Charlevoix.

In warfare, supply lines matter; in a trade war, supply chains matter. Supply chains for American companies will be increasingly vulnerable as a result of Trump’s retreat into protectionism. By invoking national security to provoke a trade war with allies, the Trump administration may very well achieve the opposite of its goal and do harm to American economic and national security.

Dr. Charles Boustany is a former member of the US House of Representatives and a retired physician. He is a partner at Capitol Counsel LLC.

Tags: Trump
Previous Post

New MLI project will lead public debate on securing NATO’s frontier with Russia

Next Post

“Canada is going to go through a very rough patch,” Tepper tells CTV

Related Posts

Building the Free and Open Indo-Pacific with like-minded partners: A view from Japan – Akiko Fukushima for Inside Policy
Inside Policy

Building the Free and Open Indo-Pacific with like-minded partners: A view from Japan – Akiko Fukushima for Inside Policy

January 31, 2023
How pipelines went from villain to hero in Indigenous reconciliation: Heather Exner-Pirot in the Calgary Herald
Columns

Alberta must assert itself over oil and gas against unilateral emissions cuts: Jack Mintz and Janice MacKinnon in the National Post

January 30, 2023
Henry Dundas was an abolitionist. He deserves a street named after him: Patrice Dutil in the National Post
Columns

Henry Dundas was an abolitionist. He deserves a street named after him: Patrice Dutil in the National Post

January 30, 2023
Next Post
“Canada is going to go through a very rough patch,” Tepper tells CTV

"Canada is going to go through a very rough patch," Tepper tells CTV

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Follow us on

Newsletter Signup

First Name
Last Name
Email Address

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

Inside Policy Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Advertising
  • Inside Policy Blog
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD!Have the latest Canadian thought leadership delivered straight to your inbox.
First Name
Last Name
Email address

No thanks, I’m not interested.