Canada should look at strengthening European trade ties in face of U.S. trade war, says trade expert

3 week_ago 11

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As some Canada and the European Union are being targeted by U.S. tariffs, commercialized adept Mark Camilleri says determination is country to turn their commercialized relationship. Labrador Gem Seafoods’s Danny Dumaresque says he’s already seeing interest.

Danny Dumaresque says he’s already seeing involvement successful his seafood

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 2:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

With a Canada-U.S. commercialized warfare lingering on, 1 commercialized adept says the state should look eastward to Europe to further fortify economical ties — and 1 Newfoundland and Labrador seafood shaper says he's already seeing it happen.

Mark Camilleri, a lawyer and CEO of the Canada EU Trade and Investment Association, said the commercialized narration betwixt Canada and the European Union is good, but could beryllium better.

"Since we've signed the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement successful 2016, the commercialized has surely increased. Trading goods has gone up fundamentally 65 per cent, trading services 73 per cent. So it's going from spot to strength," Camilleri said.

It comes astatine a clip erstwhile some counties are facing escalation tariffs connected their goods entering the U.S., with 25 per cent tariffs expected to travel into effect connected April 2. Chinese tariffs came into effect this week.

When it comes to Canada's earthy materials, vigor and different exports, helium said determination is country for maturation successful Europe. However, Camilleri said uncovering a replacement for the U.S. marketplace isn't going to beryllium an casual process, adding there's a batch of infrastructure already successful spot for selling Canadian goods to the U.S.

"I bash deliberation there's a just magnitude of enactment that needs to beryllium done successful presumption of processing the infrastructure to assistance facilitate that commercialized and to assistance it grow."

LISTEN | CBC's Leigh Anne Power chats with Mark Camilleri astir Canada and the EU's trading relationship:

CBC Newfoundland Morning6:29Hi, partner. Lawyer advises Canadian businesses connected trading with EU countries, since the U.S. slammed the doorway shut

The uncertainty astir commercialized with the U.S. these days is forcing Canadian businesses to find caller markets for their goods. The astir evident purchaser extracurricular the U.S. is the European Union. Mark Camilleri is simply a Canadian lawyer who is peculiar EU advisor to the Business Council of Canada. He's besides CEO of the Canada EU Trade and Investment Association. Camilleri spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

Previously, Canada trading with the EU was treated arsenic thing that was "nice to have" but it has present go indispensable and this is the clip to look astatine ways to amended the relationship, said Camilleri.

"I deliberation immoderate caller government, surely would beryllium looking astatine commercialized diversification. And I deliberation erstwhile you deliberation astir commercialized diversification, it truly makes consciousness to look astatine the European Union," helium said.

Already astatine work

Danny Dumaresque, president of Labrador Gem Seafoods, said seafood producers request to pivot to the European market, given the prospect of treble tariffs.

"There's nary question, we person to determination yesterday to effort and get up of the existing tariff situation," helium told CBC News.

"I conscionable spent 2 weeks successful Europe, successful Spain, Italy, France and the U.K. And I tin archer you that is the main people marketplace for maine and, I would suggest, for each seafood companies successful this province."

There is an appetite successful Europe for seafood, Dumaresque added, adding they admit the precocious prime of seafood that is caught disconnected Newfoundland and Labrador.

"I americium assured that we volition beryllium capable to marque inroads successful Europe," helium said, which is eased by the existing EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

"This statement cannot beryllium unilaterally changed by immoderate 1 idiosyncratic similar we person seen successful the United States with President Trump and successful the Chinese concern with President Xi," said Dumaresque.

The products helium sells, similar scallops, are successful request worldwide, helium said. He besides secured a woody with a French institution astatine the Boston seafood show, a narration helium began connected his travel to Paris.

Dumaresque said Europe is sympathetic to the concern Canada finds itself successful with the U.S. and China.

"It's surely a situation for our industry. But I bash judge that it was a wake-up telephone that we required. And there's ever going to beryllium occurrence stories. And I'm surely pleased, astatine this stage, to person had immoderate luck successful the past abbreviated while."

But Dumaresque besides said the U.S. inactive has an appetite for Canadian seafood.

"I conscionable came from Boston and there's nary slacking successful the request for our delicious snowfall crab products. So that volition not change."

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