An all-in-Canada supply chain? How backward integration could work [Video]

As U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war escalates, federal party leaders are pitching Canadians on plans that could re-imagine the country’s economy and core supply chains.

But can they work?

Trump announced another threatened round of tariffs, this time on automobile imports, earlier in the week, leading Prime Minister Mark Carney to pause his election campaign as Liberal leader to focus on Canada’s response as the April 2 tariff date nears.

Carney called for building Canada’s “economic autonomy” by building a fully-integrated Canadian supply chain.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Carney said he planned on “backwards integrating” the Canadian supply chain after stating that Canada’s “old relationship” with the U.S. “is over.”

Carney said Canada’s strategic response plan included “integrating the supply chain here domestically.”

He said, “I’m using fancy term — backwards integrating into steel, in aluminum to help our steel and aluminum industries that are used, and encourage that backwards integrating further …