Canada’s largest private sector union, Unifor, is calling for the federal government to implement a serious of tough and comprehensive measures as part of ongoing public consultations on protecting Canadian autoworkers from China’s ‘unfair’ electric vehicle trade practices.

It came as BYD was reportedly looking at entering the Canadian market.

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In a statement, the union said that the US and the European Union had ‘responded proactively’ to the threat posed by ‘unfair imports’.

“Canada has everything we need to build the electric vehicles of the future in our own backyard, including a highly skilled workforce, deep roots in auto manufacturing, and the critical minerals needed to supply the industry.”

The union’s recommended measures:

• Imposing a surtax above existing tariff rates on Chinese-made electric vehicles of 100%, batteries of 25%, and critical minerals of 25%, all of which bring Canada in line with measures proposed by the United States.

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• Protecting Canada’s supply chain transition with additional surtaxes on critical component parts from China, including electric motors and battery cell material.

• Extending and expanding EV purchasing incentives for Canadians and disqualifying vehicles that are subject to a surtax under section 53 of the Customs Tariff Act.

• Including “connected vehicle” technology among the list of sensitive areas for foreign investment reviews and monitor the outcomes of an ongoing U.S. investigation into information and communications technology (ICT) in vehicles.

“Canada must implement these recommendations in order to protect good auto jobs and build a more prosperous, fairer, cleaner and resilient economy for all.”