Canada/US: Trump's trade war has led to a significant decline in bilateral trade between the US and Canada

Canada is one of the countries most severely affected by Trump's return to the White House. After Trump threatened to turn Canada into the 51st state of the United States, relations between Canada and the US have clearly deteriorated. RFI correspondent Nicolas Feldman saw a noticeable decline in freight traffic along the road connecting the US and Canada on the border.

The reporter went to the "Ambassador" Bridge, which connects Detroit, Michigan, on one side and Windsor, Ontario, Canada on the other. This is one of the busiest commercial routes between the two countries, but since Trump returned to the White House in 2025, transportation along this route has significantly slowed down.

Ryan Donnelly of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce told the reporter, "Due to the impact of the trade war, we have seen trade volumes drop by as much as 20% during certain periods. The previously threatened and ultimately imposed 25% tariffs on various goods have led to a slowdown in global trade between Canada and the US. Previously, more than 8,000 trucks passed through this bridge every day, accounting for one-third of the trade freight between Canada and the US. But now, the trade war is causing a continuous decrease in transportation."

This change has hit the local economy. Especially in this region, facing Detroit, known as the "car capital," the regional economy is entirely dependent on the automotive industry. Donnelly said, "The unemployment rate in the Windsor-Essex area rose to 11% to 11.5% last summer, and it has now dropped to around 7.5%. However, trade uncertainty has led to multiple large-scale layoffs over the past year, especially in the summer. Currently, with the summer phase of the CUSMA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) negotiations, the situation has slightly improved, but any changes in Trump's policies could lead to serious unemployment issues in the region."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1854882533096452/

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