October 01, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2025
Contact: press@michigan.gov
Gov. Whitmer Delivers Major Address in Canada, Hitting Current U.S. Tariffs
Whitmer discussed importance of Michigan’s Relationship with Canada for U.S. Manufacturing, how China benefits from DC Republicans’ current tariffs strategy
LANSING, Mich. -- Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered the keynote address at the Empire Club of Canada, in partnership with AmCham Canada (American Chamber of Commerce in Canada), focusing on the harm current U.S. tariffs are doing to Michigan and our manufacturers, especially our auto industry. The event also included a fireside chat focusing on the relationship between Michigan and Canada, trade, supply chains, jobs, climate, and cross-border partnerships.
Automakers and suppliers are put at risk because of tariffs, which also jeopardizes 1.2 million Michiganders who work in these communities. Canada is our biggest auto trading partner, with car parts crossing the border an average of eight times. An additional 25% tariff has been slapped on foreign made auto parts, including those from Canada. Auto companies are considering building cars and products entirely overseas to pay one tariff on one product.
Click the link to view the speech.
Please see below for her remarks as prepared for delivery.
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Hello and bonjour! Thank you all for being here. Today, I want to talk about how Michigan and Canada can work together to lead the future of the auto industry.
But first, to acknowledge the obvious, I know that U.S.-Canada relations are challenging today. The tone, insults and ignorance coming out of Washington, DC are unwise, unnecessary, and unjustified. But I want you all to know that the vast majority of Americans view Canada as our best friend, ally, and partner in the world. I know most governors—Democrats and Republicans—feel the same way too.
Michigan, in particular, has a special relationship with Canada.
In addition to our deep gubernatorial ties, our state and your country have a lot in common:
We also share a border. Detroit-Windsor is the busiest international border crossing in North America, driving more than a quarter of the $700 billion of annual trade between the US and Canada. More goods cross the Ambassador Bridge than the U.S. trades with France. Just think about that. This crossing is critical to protecting and defending our respective economies, and we must never take it for granted.
I’m proud of the relationship we’ve built through agreements on cross-border electric vehicle testing, supply chains, and job creation. Since I took office, Canadian businesses have announced 42 projects in Michigan, creating over 7,800 jobs. Over that same time, Michigan businesses have moved on 33 projects in Canada, creating more than 10,000 jobs.
It’s like Prime Minister Carney said, “Our strength lies in our resolve to work together.” That’s why I’m here today. Michigan and Canada are cousins. We may live a town over, but we always show up when it counts. If anyone tries to mess with our family, you can bet we’ll have your back. And we know you’ve got ours.
Together, we’ve seen what a strong relationship can do for our economies. America’s largest trading partners are Canada and Mexico. Combined, we conduct nearly $1.8 trillion of trade under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.
President Trump negotiated this deal during his first term, calling it “the best agreement we’ve ever made.” It’s benefited all three of our economies by creating millions of jobs, increasing investments, and making supply chains stronger.
Now, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot with a chaotic national tariff policy. Over the past ten months, the federal administration has slapped tariffs on nearly every country, including yours. They have negotiated some deals, retracted others, and some fluctuate depending on the day, stoking uncertainty and sowing distrust.
Most people don’t want these tariffs. 6 in 10 Canadians no longer trust America because of them. 60% of Americans think President Trump has gone too far with them. Even 1 in 4 Republicans don't want anything to do with them.
I will say… Michiganders and Canadians understand the negative consequences of unfettered trade with other countries that don’t play fair. Decades of offshoring and outsourcing shipped good-paying, middle-class jobs overseas. The ripple effects were devastating. Fewer people, empty main streets, crumbling roads, and shrinking schools.
Thanks to Washington DC Republicans’ latest tariffs, however, history is repeating itself. In the U.S., Google searches for “need help with mortgage” are the highest since 2008. Credit scores are dropping at the fastest rate since the Great Recession. Today, the top 10% of households are responsible for nearly 50% of consumer spending—the highest share since the 90s.
Tariffs are putting the middle class in a tough spot. The folks doing well are doing even better and those who are struggling are falling even further behind.
This shows up in people’s day-to-day as they:
I’ve been very clear that I’m not opposed to tariffs outright, but we can’t treat them like a “one size fits all” solution. And we certainly shouldn’t use them to punish you, our closest trading partners.
Canada supplies so much of what Americans use every single day. Canadian energy powers more than 5.6 million U.S. homes. Canadian aluminum and auto parts are in our cars. Canadian lumber and steel are in our apartment buildings, houses, offices, and more. The things so many Americans rely on and take for granted are supplied by some of the people in this room.
Swinging the tariff hammer hurts us both, damaging supply chains, slowing production lines, and cutting jobs on both sides of the border.
We’ve already seen what happens when our connection is severed. The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in 2022 hit our auto and agriculture industries hard. Commerce stalled and workers lost a combined $144 million in wages.
Tariffs are threatening to make that temporary nightmare a permanent reality. Consider this… more than 10,000 commercial vehicles carrying parts and materials across the Ambassador Bridge every weekday. Without a USMCA exemption, every auto part on every single one of those trucks is subject to a 25% tariff.
This summer, duties on automotive goods entering the U.S. totaled around 17.4 billion. They’ve never exceeded $1 billion in any month since 2002.
We’re already seeing the impacts of soaring costs. Auto companies in Canada and Michigan are stockpiling parts and laying off workers. Bonus checks for autoworkers are shrinking by thousands. Suppliers are facing higher costs and delaying expansions. The price of a new car could rise by $2,500. Businesses are considering moving operations entirely overseas to pay one tariff on one product.
The only winner here is China. They’re coming for our auto industry.
Ontario—along with Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois—have secured massive, multibillion-dollar investments from companies like GM, Ford, Stellantis, Honda, and LG. Together, the Great Lakes region is the largest hub for battery production in North America. But if we let cheap Chinese EVs enter the North American market or fail to develop new battery technology and take control of supply chains for critical minerals and components… it’s all at risk.
Just look at Europe, where Chinese EVs and batteries are gobbling up market share. More than 12 million European direct and indirect auto industry jobs are at risk. And the iconic German brand, Volkswagen, was forced to shut down a plant for the first time in its 87-year history last year.
We can’t ignore what’s happening across the ocean and in our own continent, down in Mexico. If we fail to act, that could be our future. One where companies subsidized by the Chinese government sell at a loss and crush the core of our manufacturing economies.
We’re doing our part to shore up domestic production. Since I took office, automakers and suppliers have invested a combined $40 billion into Michigan. In Canada, automakers and suppliers have invested over $50 billion since 2020.
Michigan remains the #1 U.S. state for:
But that’s not enough. Michigan and Canada must collaborate to win. We can face China, but only if we do it together.
I can’t control the national tariff rate, but I can use my voice. I’ve taken this message to the White House. I’ve sat with President Trump and told him that when we say “no” to Canada, we say “yes” to China.
A decline in trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada would cause massive job losses, widespread supply chain disruptions, and shortages of fuel, parts, and produce.
China would love nothing more than to watch us cripple our own economies. We can’t afford to serve them the North American auto ecosystem on a silver platter. And we cannot turn our backs on each other, not now, not ever. We must keep talking and keep showing up for each other. We will get through this together.
I really believe that… because it’s how I was raised… in a bipartisan household with a Democratic mom and Republican dad. They taught me decency, respect, and kindness.
It’s how I’ve governed. When I took office in 2019, I inherited the Flint water crisis, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic underinvestment in schools, roads, and safety. People didn’t trust their government and the fundamentals were falling apart.
7 years later, we’ve gotten a lot done by working together. I’ve signed over 1,500 bipartisan bills to fix our roads, feed our kids, and save families money on taxes, child care, and education.
We’re keeping that momentum going this year. Right now, the Michigan Legislature is finalizing our next balanced state budget, which will be my seventh. With a lot of compromise and a little bit of elbow grease, Republicans and Democrats came together to get it done.
I know the future is uncertain, but we have a chance to make a better one. Together, we will:
We can do it all, but we can't do it alone. Sometime next year, we will dedicate the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. It will be a towering symbol of our successful partnership and bright future.
Let’s continue to be a model to the rest of the world on how to work together to get things done. Thank you all so much for your time.
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