Automotive supply chains are engineered around parts, plants and production schedules. An automaker cannot replace a Canadian supplier overnight because a post tells it to “build in the U.S.” That Canadian part is supporting an American-built vehicle and American jobs.
Remove it, and the line stops.
The Americans know this because they have tried it before. Last year, Washington announced 25 per cent Section 232 tariffs on imported automobiles and parts. When the duties were set to reach parts in May, the math overtook the rhetoric. USMCA-compliant automotive parts remained tariff-free.
That exemption was not a favour to Canada but American self-preservation.