From kitchen cabinets to titanium, American industries accuse Canadian firms of skirting CUSMA rules
As U.S. President Donald Trump sticks with his campaign of tariffs on imports from Canada, some American industries are accusing Canadian competitors of using cheap materials from China in ways that violate free trade rules and undercut U.S. companies.
The accusations emerged during recent public hearings in Washington into the future of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). During the hearings, leaders from a wide range of business sectors urged the Trump administration to renew the trade deal when it comes up for review in July.
However, several industries — from steel producers to truck-parts suppliers to kitchen-cabinet makers — expressed concerns that some Canadian and Mexican companies are exploiting CUSMA’s preferential trade terms by sending products with significant amounts of Chinese-made content into the U.S. market through a back door.
Luke Meisner, counsel for the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance, told the hearings that Canada and Mexico have become conduits for products from China, circumventing the hefty countervailing duties the U.S. imposed on Chinese-made cabinets and materials in 2020.
"China didn't leave the U.S. market, it just changed the return address," Meisner said. "We closed the front door for China. Canada and Mexico became the side doors." ...
This was excerpted from the 10 December 2025 edition of CBC News.