There was a glimmer of hope late last week that Canada and the US would make some progress in trade talks, but ultimately the conversations grew even more acrimonious, saddling automakers with tariffs that are set to double from 25% to 50% on January 1, unless cooler heads prevail.

 

While President Trump sought to punish our neighbors to the north, the real victims are Americans who will likely pay more for vehicles built in Canada by American and Japanese companies, as well as Canadians who will pay more for US-built vehicles, because Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to match Trump's tariffs "dollar for dollar." Apparently, sticking points on HD pickup trucks and vehicle parts sent the whole house of cards tumbling.