Following President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products, the Canadian Department of Finance in turn put in place tariffs on US steel, aluminum and other products. [1] WisContext reported recently that of the 228 products targeted 163 are produced and exported by Wisconsin manufacturers. [2] Tariffs imposed on the paper industry are alarming especially as Green Bay Packaging Inc. has just announced a $500 million investment in a new facility in Green Bay. [3]
- Canada is Wisconsin’s top export location.[4]
- Paper products, totaling $520 million annually, represents the top export product[5]
- 106,000 people are employed (directly or indirectly) by the largest concentration of paper mills in the United States [6]
Gov. Scott Walker often touts a pro-business climate in Wisconsin and let’s remember the “Wisconsin is Open for Business” slogan, which was recently adopted by Pres. Trump when discussing Foxconn. [7] How can we say we are “open for business” while engaged in a trade war which threatens thousands of Wisconsin workers?
[1] https://www.fin.gc.ca/access/tt-it/cacsap-cmpcaa-1-eng.asp
[2] https://www.wiscontext.org/which-wisconsin-exports-are-canadas-tariffs-hitting-hardest
[3] https://www.nbc26.com/news/green-bay-packaging-inc-to-build-new-paper-mill
[4]https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/state/data/wi.html#ctry
[6] https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/sectors/paper.html
