LILLEY: Biden threatens Canadian jobs again with his Buy American protectionist promises

Joseph R. Biden, the 46th president of the United States of America, is once again declaring war on Canadian industry and trade with this country.

Biden announced that much during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

It shouldn’t be shocking to anyone who has followed Biden over the years — the man is an ardent protectionist who pays lip service to trade while trying to stifle it.

“I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. American-made lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cables,” Biden said to a standing ovation.

“And on my watch, American roads, American bridges, and American highways will be made with American products as well.”

The initial question many Canadians would have at hearing that statement would be what about free trade? We did just renegotiate NAFTA, the new version of which came into effect on July 1, 2020, but trade agreements don’t seem to concern Biden, who assured those gathered on Capitol Hill that his move was legal.

“It’s totally consistent with international trade rules,” Biden assured the joint meeting of Congress.

That remains to be seen, the devil will be, as they say, in the details.

This isn’t Biden’s first attempt at enacting protectionist policies that would harm Canadian industry. In 2021, Biden’s budget proposal looked at adding a massive subsidy for anyone buying an electric vehicle. The catch was that the vehicle had to be assembled in the U.S.A., most of the parts had to come from there and the battery had to be built in America.

The Trudeau government, supported by the Ontario government and industry, lobbied the Biden White House for months. In the end, it was the opposition of a few Democrat senators whose own local auto industry would have been hurt by the move that killed the initiative.

Biden has also doubled the tariff on Canadian softwood lumber, hurting much of our national forestry sector. In agriculture, they have moved towards a country of origin label system that could have a very negative impact on Canada’s beef and pork producers in particular.

Biden’s moves and policies create uncertainty in the market, make Canada a less attractive place to invest, and all of that hurts Canadian jobs. If you thought Donald Trump was protectionist, think again because Biden is much worse, and he does it all with a smile while claiming to be your best friend.

Once upon a time, the worst protectionist trade measures that would hit Canada came out of Congress and our prime minister could call on the president of the day to try and smooth things over. Since the Obama administration, the most protectionist place in Washington has been the White House and with each new occupant, things have only gotten worse for Canada.

A month ago, Biden was at the North American Leader’s Summit in Mexico talking about strengthening supply chains with Canada. Now, he’s once again threatening to harm those very supply chains through disruption and protectionist measures.

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It will take some time to find out the full extent of Biden’s plans and what the impact will be on Canadian companies and jobs, but the early signs aren’t good. This is a president who is clearly intent on walking back the gains made for the economies of both of our countries through freer trade, one who wants to build walls at the border, not to keep people out but goods and services.

It’s time for Trudeau and his team to wake up from their sleepy attitude to Biden and give him the same all-hands-on-deck treatment they gave Trump’s protectionist moves.

Jobs and the fate of families depend on this.

blilley@postmedia.com