Tariffs & Trade
Experts on tariffs in a
CHANGING WORLD
McMaster researchers provide evidence-based insights on tariffs, covering everything from jobs to consumer prices and international relations.
Canada’s aluminum industry faces U.S. tariffs, but innovation could open new markets
The United States government’s decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on aluminum imports from Canada has raised serious concerns about potential job losses in the aluminum industry.
Keena Trowell, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is reimagining aluminum’s role not just as a manufacturing material but as a clean energy storage medium and fuel.
Aluminum is safe and stable, and Canada already has a robust infrastructure for making and transporting it. Trowell says this positions the country to both meet its own energy needs with hydro, solar and geothermal power and export surplus energy.

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Meet Our Experts

Don Ableson
Professor, Political Science
Tariffs expertise: • Historical context of Canada-US relations • Dynamics of leadership • Role of think tanks in shaping policy

Vass Bednar
Executive Director, Master of Public Policy in Digital Society Program
Tariffs expertise: • What can Canadian consumers do amid Trump tariffs • What does Made in Canada mean and does it matter

Goran Calic
Associate Professor of Strategic Management, DeGroote School of Business
Tariffs expertise: • Close trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. • Issues related to competitiveness • Leadership style of Elon Musk

Catherine Connelly
Professor, Human Resources & Management
Tariffs expertise: • Impact on the job market • How companies can deal with economic uncertainty • Worker retraining due to changing market

William Huggins
Assistant Professor, Finance & Business Economics
Tariffs expertise: • How Canada’s economic relationship with the U.S. has evolved historically • Impact on the Canadian economy including on unemployment and industry

Gail Krantzberg
Professor Emeritus, Engineering and Public Policy
Tariffs expertise: • Impact of Trump administration’s changes on the Great Lakes • How Canada and the U.S. work together on the Great Lakes

Andrea Lawlor
Associate Professor, Political Science
Tariffs expertise: • How the trade war is impacting Canadian politics and politicians • Public opinion in the trade war • Canadian public policy as it relates to changing U.S. policy

Colin Mang
Assistant Professor, Economics
Tariffs expertise: • Impact on the cost of living for Canadians • How the Bank of Canada is reacting to changing economic conditions • How steel and aluminum tariffs will impact jobs and industries

Joseph Mcdermid
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Tariffs expertise: • Impact on Canada’s steel industry in terms of jobs and future innovation • How closely Canada’s steel industry is tied to the U.S.

Greig Mordue
Associate Professor, Engineering, Economics
Tariffs expertise: • Complex and intertwined nature of North American auto manufacturing • Impact of technology on the auto industry, including electric vehicles • Ongoing viability of auto manufacturing in North America

François Neville
Associate Professor, Strategic Management, DeGroote School of Business
Tariff Expertise: • Economic impact on businesses and consumers • The 'Buy Canadian' movement and its potential impact

Pau Pujolas
Associate Professor, Economics
Tariffs expertise: • Trade wars and tariffs • Ways Canada could weather the storm of U.S. tariffs, including interprovincial trade and more free trade agreements • Impacts on GDP, monetary and fiscal policy
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