‘Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’: FTQ on Trump’s tariff threats
Posted January 14, 2025 1:54 pm.
Faced with Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs against Canada, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) says it should be “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
During her traditional start of the new year press conference, FTQ President Magali Picard expressed the fears of her major affiliates and their members in the face of the 25 per cent tariff threats issued by the U.S. president-elect. She added that Canada must play to its strengths and not put itself in a position of weakness against Trump, by avoiding responding to each of his “far-fetched” assertions.
The Steelworkers, Unifor and the Teamsters, all major affiliates of the FTQ, would be particularly hard hit by these potential U.S. tariffs, as they have a strong presence in mining, timber, forestry, transportation, and more.
“We have to hurt him; he wants to hurt us; he wants to impress us,” said Picard, by playing “this dangerous game.”
She notes that as a unionist, “you always have to analyze carefully with whom you’re negotiating.” And with Donald Trump, it’s the balance of power that works, she maintains.
“I don’t think trying to negotiate with someone who’s not in his right mind is going to get us anywhere.”
The FTQ’s position is important, because its large affiliated unions have ties with American unions, which could become either allies for jobs, or obstacles, in this debate.
-This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
