Democratic congressional candidate Blake Gendebien has criticized the Trump administration for allowing the collapse of trade talks with Canada.
“Our neighbors in Canada aren’t some distant trading partners, they’re our customers and our friends,” he said Tuesday, in a video on his campaign Facebook page.
After trade talks between representatives of the two nations broke down, President Donald Trump on Aug. 22 announced 50% tariffs on nearly $20 billion of certain goods, amounting to about 5% of Canada’s annual imports into the United States.
Canada responded by imposing new tariffs on the United States, largely on aluminum and steel.
Trump then countered by announcing additional retaliatory tariffs against Canada, to take effect Jan. 4.
New York’s North Country is highly dependent on Canadian trade, including in forest products, rail and subway car manufacturing, tourism and retail.
Regional economic development officials have said uncertainty over tariffs has stymied new development, and that anger among Canadians over U.S. officials’ rhetoric has discouraged Canadians from vacationing and shopping in the region.
“Here in the North Country, we know what that means: more uncertainty for our small businesses, our manufacturers and our border communities,” Gendebien said.
Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino defended the Trump administration’s handling of trade negotiations.
“I support President Trump negotiating for our country, bringing American jobs back from overseas, and keeping us safe and secure. President Trump is the greatest negotiator on the planet, and has driven the largest economic revitalization in our history,” he said, in a statement. “I have faith that our Deal Maker in Chief will secure a great deal with Canada for the American people.”
The Trump administration has blamed the Canadian government for the breakdown of negotiations.
“The deal blew up for only one reason — politics across our border. They don’t seem to understand that they need us more than we need them,” said Peter Navarro, senior counselor for trade & manufacturing in the Trump administration, speaking last week on the C-SPAN program “Washington Journal.”
Constantino said the U.S. has a significant trade deficit with Canada.
“President Trump is doing everything in his power to balance the scales and secure a fair deal for the American people. Canada locks out U.S. dairy with restrictions so extreme they function as a near-total ban. Canada has a near-total ban on American-made alcohol,” Constantino said.
“I’m a dairy farmer, and I know that Canada hasn’t always played fair on dairy access. That’s real and it needs to be fixed. But blowing up the whole relationship isn’t right,” Gendebien said.
Gendebien, a farmer from Lisbon, in St. Lawrence County, Constantino, an Amsterdam businessman who lives at Edinburg, in Saratoga County, and independent write-in candidate Christopher Schmidt, a day laborer from Hudson Falls, are running for the 21st Congressional District seat, where six-term U. S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, is not seeking reelection. The sprawling district includes Schoharie County.