Canadian, American unions urging U.S. senators to vote to overturn Trump's tariffs

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., left, and Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., confer on Capitol Hill in Washington on February 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, J. Scott Applewhite

OTTAWA — Unions on both sides of the border are calling on American senators to vote in favour of legislation to overturn U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on a joint resolution led by Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine that would terminate the national emergency Trump declared in order to justify 25 per cent tariffs on most imports from Canada.

In separate letters to U.S. senators, the Canadian Labour Congress and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations are calling for the tariff measures to be terminated to avoid “unnecessary economic pain” for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.

The American union’s letter says that while the national emergency declaration attempts to justify tariffs by alleging that Canada is not doing enough to halt the illicit flow of fentanyl, “Canada is not the problem.”

It said data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that less than one per cent of the total fentanyl entering the United States comes from Canada.

“The proposed tariffs ignore our close economic and security relationship with Canada, a steadfast ally and fellow member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” the letter reads.

The Canadian Labour Congress’s letter says that nearly eight million U.S. jobs are tied to trade with Canada. It says that Canadian companies employ around 900,000 workers in the U.S. and that, on both sides of the border, workers are already struggling with inflation and the high cost of living.

The letter says tariffs will create “additional upward pressure on consumer prices, placing workers’ livelihoods, local jobs and the United States’ close and mutually-beneficial economic partnership with Canada at risk.”

Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said in an interview that she’s not “overly optimistic” that the measure will pass but added the labour movement “will leave no stone unturned” to protect jobs in Canada.

“Making sure that Americans fully understand that these tariffs, because our economies are so integrated, will have significant impacts on the U.S. side as well is absolutely critical,” Bruske said.

Bruske said the union works regularly with its counterpart in the U.S. and that it will keep talking to progressive American politicians about the issue.

“We’re going to exploit every single opportunity we can to make sure that the word gets out about the reality of tariffs,” she said.

Earlier this month, Trump hit Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent across-the-board duties, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy, only to later partially pause the tariffs until April 2.

On his website, Sen. Kaine says Trump’s taxes on Canadian goods have “sent our economy into chaos, and Americans aren’t buying what he’s selling.”

“They know they will pay the price with higher costs for everyday items, and their confidence in the economy is the lowest it has been in recent years,” said Kaine.

“Many of my Republican colleagues in Congress have already expressed concerns about these tariffs, so the Senate’s upcoming vote on our legislation provides senators with the perfect opportunity to show Americans that they will stand up for their constituents and reverse the President’s disastrous economic policies.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2025.