U.S. President Donald Trump says the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade is “irrelevant” to him and Americans don’t need Canadian products.

While touring a Ford plant in Michigan, Trump said he wants to see more cars built in the United States and the U.S. doesn’t need vehicles made in Canada or Mexico.

Asked if he will renegotiate CUSMA, which is up for review this year, Trump said “we can have it or not.”

  • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works
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    5 days ago

    AFAIK there is not enough skilled labour in machining / tool-and-die left in the US to even start production there.

    TIL …

    • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      I double checked myself:

      Key Headwinds: Challenges Threatening Survival and Growth

      Structural Talent Crisis: The “Silver Tsunami” and Skills Gap

      This is perhaps the most lethal long-term risk. A wave of retirements is sweeping away highly skilled moldmakers, while younger generations lack both the expertise and the inclination to enter the trade. Decades of offshoring have created a massive break in knowledge transfer, leaving shops unmanned and innovation stifled

      From

      Critical industries such as food and medicine rely greatly on foreign tool makers. In the case of global conflict, the United States is not in the position to easily bring manufacturing of critical components back to its own shores in a timely or cost-effective manner.

      From

      Notice the dependency isn’t just on Canada. It’s also on China, Mexico, etc. The Canadian dependency of US automotive is just one part of the problem. A lot of production in the US and Canada is dependent on overseas materials and parts even when the product says “Made in Canada.” This is why folks who focus on critical minerals are missing the forest from the trees. The most serious dependency is the labour and production expertise that’s been shipped overseas - a structural problem. Recreating that is a many-year-long process that can’t be fulfilled by the market, as the market already decided against it. I’m not saying we shouldn’t do it. Just casually sizing the problem and the solution in the context of dependence and independence of other countries.