China, Vietnam tires flooding Canadian market, N.S. premier claims

N.S. Premier Tim Houston says three Asian countries are flooding the Canadian tire market.

The Nova Scotia premier is calling on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to investigate tires from three Asian companies based on evidence he says shows they are overwhelming the Canadian market.

In a news release Premier Tim Houston said there is “strong evidence” to suggest tire manufacturers from China, Cambodia and Vietnam are “flooding the Canadian market.” He is asking the CBSA to investigate imports of passenger vehicle and light truck tires from those countries.

“It is clear to me that these imports are putting jobs at risk and undermining the stability of our domestic tire industry,” said Houston in the release. “The global trade market is facing immense uncertainty right now, and we have to focus on the things we can control – defending ourselves against industries with unfair trade practices that threaten our economy and job security is absolutely within our control.”

The release says Nova Scotia conducted a review of import data and has concluded the threshold has been met for the CBSA to launch an anti-dumping investigation into import tires from China, Vietnam and Cambodia.

“Under the Special Import Measures Act, the CBSA has authority to launch an investigation without the need for a formal industry complaint if there is clear evidence of unfair trade harming Canadian industries,” the release reads.

The Government of Canada defines dumping as when goods are sold to Canadian importers at lower prices than the selling price of comparable goods in the country of export, or when the goods are sold to Canada at unprofitable prices.

The average anti-dumping investigation can take roughly seven months.

The release says tire imports from China, Vietnam and Cambodia increased by nearly 30 per cent between 2022 and 2024.

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