PODCASTS:
Sept. 1, 2026 ~ Mike Johnston, executive vice president of government affairs and workforce development at the Michigan Manufacturing Association, joins Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson about how Canada’s retaliatory tariffs could hit Michigan harder than most states.
Sept. 1, 2026 ~ Patrick Anderson, principal and CEO of the Anderson Economic Group, joins Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson about how the auto industry is set to be hit the hardest by the U.S.-Canada trade war.
MICHIGAN ~ With new Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods set to go into effect Sept. 8, concerns are goring on how they could impact Michigan and the auto industry.
U.S. and Canada have been locked in a trade war ever since last year spurred on by President Donald Trump. Last week, Canada announced about $20 billion dollars worth of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods to matched tariffs imposed by Trump, who announced 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods shortly before. Canada’s tariffs will apply 15-50% tariffs on a range of U.S. goods, with the steel, aluminum, dairy, fish, seafood, perfume, and clothing industries just some of the impacted sectors.
Michigan could very well be hit the hardest of any state in the entire United States by these retaliatory tariffs. A report from the Detroit News found that roughly $1.5 billion worth of Michigan exports, particularly those from Michigan’s manufacturing industry, could be affected when the tariffs take effect.
“Michigan is a very diverse manufacturing economy, so tariffs hit us in various different ways up and down supply chains, whether it’s the auto industry, cement, or the food industry,” Mike Johnston, the executive vice president of government affairs and workforce development at the Michigan Manufacturing Association, told WJR. “It’ll impact the Michigan economy in really significant ways because manufacturing remains the largest sector of the Michigan economy. So it’ll hit Michigan harder than most states.“
