Latest news with #EricMiller
Calgary Herald
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Calgary Herald
Japanese trade deal with U.S. creates lower tariff rate for vehicles than Canada faces
Article content A new U.S.-Japan trade deal reportedly gives the Asian country a 15 per cent flat tariff rate — providing a potential edge in key export areas such as auto manufacturing, where Canadian finished vehicles currently face a 25 per cent tariff rate. Article content United States President Donald Trump announced the deal with Japan on Tuesday but details remain vague, as no official text of the deal was released. Article content Article content Article content That is similar to other trade deals that the U.S. has announced in recent weeks, where the details remain undisclosed. Still, as Canada inches toward an August deadline on negotiations with the U.S., auto industry professionals offered mixed reactions as to how Japan's deal could affect the competitiveness of Canada's sector. Article content Article content 'If you're Japan, and you're looking around and saying where are my competitors, you're feeling pretty good,' said Eric Miller, president of Washington, D.C.-based Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a consulting firm on trade policy. 'Autos are about a quarter of their exports, and the auto access was a significant piece of this.' Article content Indeed, according to the World Bank, auto and related exports accounted for about 20 per cent of Japan's trade in 2022. Article content Within Canada's auto sector, the agreement spurred mixed reactions. Article content Article content On the one hand, if Japanese-built vehicle exports to the U.S. face a lower duty than Canadian built ones, this could in theory incentivize some automakers to move production to Japan. Article content Article content On the other hand, that is considered unlikely by many within the auto industry who hold out hope that in the end, Canadian-built autos are likely to receive a lower tariff rate than Japan. Article content 'That's certainly the hope,' said David Adams, president of the Global Automakers of Canada, a lobbying group that represents Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corp. among other foreign automakers. Article content He and others say that vehicles built in Canada, often in border towns such as Windsor, have far more spillover effects in terms of creating jobs in the U.S. than vehicles built in other countries that are separated from the U.S. by an ocean. Article content In reality, Canadian automakers are already paying below 15 per cent in many cases. That is because the Trump Administration adjusted its policies such that automakers can declare the value of any Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) compliant parts contained within a vehicle and deduct that amount from the total value of the vehicle subject to a tariff.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Canada does not want to get into a ‘direct slug match' with U.S. during negotiations: Miller
Watch President of the Rideau Potomac Strategy Group Eric Miller anticipates Carney will announce restrictions on Canadian steel and support for steel workers.
CBC
15-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
What Trump's new tariff threats could mean for Canada
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote letters to over two dozen trading partners last week, threatening a fresh set of tariffs. Canada was among them and is now facing the possibility of 35% tariffs on all Canadian goods that don't comply with CUSMA, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, if a deal isn't reached by August 1st. Where do our negotiations with the Trump administration stand and how much worse could things get if these tariffs come into effect? What cards can Canada still play at the negotiating table? And what does Trump's ongoing tariff approach mean for the world? To help make sense of it all, we're joined by Eric Miller, trade analyst and president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Heavy rain, flooding in North Carolina due to tropical depression Chantal
North Carolina's governor says about 120 roads in the state are closed due to severe flooding. Eric Miller of WRAL in Raleigh reports on the historic storm and ongoing rescues.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Trump heads to the G7, Canada hopes to avoid another Charlevoix-style eruption
OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump is set to arrive Sunday in Alberta for the G7 summit — his first visit to Canada since leaving in a huff seven years ago. Ottawa could use everything from golfing and creative scheduling to special cabinet orders to make the visit successful and avoid a repeat diplomatic disaster. "He is somebody who is very prickly when he feels like he's not being fully respected," said Eric Miller, president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a cross-border consultancy. "You want to make absolutely sure that … he walks away and says, 'You know, those Canadians aren't so bad after all.'" Better than last time The last time Trump was in Canada — for the G7 summit in the Charlevoix region of Quebec — things ended in a blowout. Trump refused to sign the communiqué, the published list of statements on common G7 issues that are mostly negotiated and agreed to by member nations ahead of time. He left early and lambasted Trudeau as "very dishonest and weak" in a spat over tariffs. The summit included what Miller called the "photograph for the ages" — of then German chancellor Angela Merkel and others standing sternly over a seated Donald Trump, who appeared to be glaring back with crossed arms. German Ambassador to Canada Matthias Lüttenberg put it bluntly when he told a June 4 panel that Ottawa was again navigating "very difficult circumstances" as G7 chair — and capably, in his view. "I mean, I wouldn't like to negotiate with a country at the table who's questioning my sovereignty as a state," he said. Sen. Peter Boehm, who was summit head in 2018, recalled two late nights of negotiations because the Trump administration didn't align with the others on including climate change or references to the "rules-based international order." Informal talks Prime Minister Mark Carney won office in April after repeatedly saying he could stand up to Trump's threats to ruin the Canadian economy in order to make the country an American state. Carney had a cordial visit to Washington in early May and even got praise from Trump on social media and in person, despite the president insisting Canada should still become a U.S. state. The two have continued talking. U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra revealed earlier this month that the president and Carney have exchanged frequent calls and texts on trade and tariffs. Miller said facetime between the two leaders in Alberta could help them make progress on economic concerns, as well as Trump's pitch to bring Canada into his proposed Golden Dome missile shield project. "Given that there is this conversation underway, it is important that they have an opportunity to continue that, and to meet perhaps in a setting that is less structured and formal than the Oval Office," Miller said. "Life is about imperfect choices, and it's absolutely the right thing to have Mr. Trump come to Canada." He said he's not sure if there will be any formal announcement, though he added Trump is keen to sign agreements with multiple countries ahead of his self-imposed July 9 deadline for so-called retaliatory tariffs. Miller said both Canada and the U.S. are likely to take credit for Ottawa announcing this month it will drastically speed up its pledge to meet NATO's defence spending target. Trump might also take note of the fact that he's in one of the few provinces that have opted to resume sales of U.S. alcohol, after all provinces banned it from their liquor store shelves in response to U.S. tariffs. Lower expectations Ottawa's decision to schedule relatively short group discussions among G7 leaders, and to invite numerous other world leaders, could mean more of the one-on-one meetings that Trump prefers. "Trump does not like multilateral meetings particularly. He loses interest," Boehm said. Canadian officials have said they are concentrating on releasing shorter, focused statements, which could avoid the sort of major blowups that may come from trying to craft the massive joint communiqués typical of almost all prior G7 summits. Former prime minister Jean Chretien told a panel Thursday that if Trump does have an outburst, G7 leaders should ignore him and "keep talking normally." Miller said that for Canada, "ensuring a positive agenda that doesn't lead to acrimony afterwards" means advancing its interests without isolating the U.S., particularly with so many guest leaders attending. "The trick that Mr. Carney has to pull off is to reassure the U.S. that it wants a good, positive relationship — while at the same time running vigorously, as quickly as possible, to try to build new relationships," he said. It's also entirely possible that Trump will leave before the meetings conclude. A visiting felon Keeping it positive is also likely why Ottawa will skirt rules that might bar Trump from crossing into Canada after he was found guilty on 34 criminal counts in a "hush money" trial in May 2024. Immigration lawyers say those convicted of serious crimes abroad must serve their time and wait five years before seeking a certificate of admissibility to Canada, though there are loopholes if someone seeks a visa for a compelling reason. The federal cabinet passed a formal order published in February that gives diplomatic immunity and privileges to "representatives of a foreign state that participate in the G7 meetings." The office of Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab would not say whether she had issued a special exemption, with her department citing privacy legislation. "Inadmissibility decisions are made on a case-by-case basis," spokesman Remi Lariviere wrote. Fore! Another way Canada could ensure a successful visit could be to get Trump to the Kananaskis Country Golf Course — a prospect much discussed in media reports that remained unconfirmed as of Friday afternoon. Carney gave Trump a hat and golf gear from that course during his visit to the Oval Office in May. Miller said that wasn't just a gimmick — Trump loves making deals while teeing off, and it could provide Carney or others with hours of facetime on a golf cart, which is Trump's comfort zone. "Golf has been pretty central to his life," he said. "It makes eminent sense to have Mr. Trump playing at a high-quality golf course." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
