A return of Donald Trump to the White House could be a hard blow for the Quebec economy if he keeps his electoral promises, argued economist Francis Gosselin.
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He said Saturday during an interview with LCN that his election could “hurt a lot” in Quebec.
“If Mr. Trump was elected, he said he was going to impose tariffs of 10%,” explained the columnist at Montreal Journal.
The economist, Francis Gosselin
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So Canada, like any other foreign country that wishes to send products to the United States, would see itself taxed, which would make the task more complex for Quebec exporters.
The latter will therefore be less competitive on the American market, lamented Mr. Gosselin.
“When we impose customs tariffs, everyone generally loses,” he said.
Industries producing raw materials in Quebec could be greatly impacted by this measure, he argued.
“He has a way of worrying,” he concludes.
The economist nevertheless wishes to qualify his remarks by mentioning that these are electoral promises to seduce the Americans.
“You always have to take it with a grain of salt,” he said on the show Quebec morning.
From the Democratic camp
Several similarities between the economic plan between candidate Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden can be noted.
Indeed, Francis Gosselin compared the electoral platform as “a carrot approach”.
«[On veut offrir] incentives, for example, to Canadian and foreign companies to come and set up in the United States, to open subsidiaries, and to come and collaborate,” he explained.
He still wants to emphasize that a “wind of protectionism” is blowing through Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Watch the full interview in the video above
