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Over 300 Organizations Unite To Demand Complete Withdrawal Of Bill C-2
Over 300 Organizations Unite To Demand Complete Withdrawal Of Bill C-2

Scoop

time15 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Scoop

Over 300 Organizations Unite To Demand Complete Withdrawal Of Bill C-2

18 June 2025 In an unprecedented show of unity, over 300 civil society organizations from across the country are on Parliament Hill today demanding the complete withdrawal of Bill C-2, the so-called "Strong Borders Act" as it enters into second reading. Four major coalitions representing a broad cross section of refugee rights, civil liberties, gender justice, and migrant advocacy have joined forces to oppose this assault on human rights and civil liberties. The four coalitions held a joint press conference today to present their unified opposition to this sweeping legislation, which represents a further, dangerous shift toward Trump-style anti-immigrant policies and attacks on the rights and freedoms of all residents. "Bill C-2 is the expansion of a deportation machine that will put hundreds of thousands of people at risk. With 1.2 million people already unable to renew their permits this year due to recent immigration cuts, this bill's sweeping new powers to cancel immigration status without individual evaluation will force more people into conditions of abuse, exploitation and even death,' says Karen Cocq, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network. 'Prime Minister Carney was elected on a promise of standing up to Trump but his very first bill is the same scapegoating of migrants and refugees that we've witnessed south of the border." Bill C-2 allows for unprecedented expansion of surveillance powers. Tim McSorley, National Coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, warned: "Bill C-2 would undermine more than a decade of Canadian privacy-related jurisprudence to enable a massive expansion of domestic surveillance. Without a warrant, police and spy agencies could demand information about our online activities based on the low threshold of 'reasonable suspicion.' This shockingly broad system is ripe for abuse and appears deliberately designed to prepare Canada for controversial data-sharing obligations with the United States and other countries." Matt Hatfield, Executive Director of OpenMedia, said: 'Bill C-2 is anti-privacy, anti-rights, and anti-Canadian. It solves border problems that don't exist; and breaks rights that do. Canadian voters want our government to keep its elbows up to defend our privacy and freedoms, and that requires a full withdrawal of Bill C-2 now.' 'Bill C-2 reflects a wholesale shift in how Canada responds to refugees seeking our protection, including enabling their deportation back to danger without even a hearing,' said Gauri Sreenivasan, Co-Executive Director of the Canadian Council for Refugees. 'It is a shocking abandonment of rights protected under our Charter and International law, providing none of the fairness and due process that Canadians fully expect from our government in immigration matters. In many respects it sinks lower than US policy. The Bill must be withdrawn '. Organizations working with survivors of gender-based violence have raised particular alarm about the bill's impact on vulnerable populations. Deepa Mattoo, Executive Director and Lawyer of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic agrees, adding "Bill C-2 is a policy misstep—it is an attack on the rights and safety of survivors of gender-based violence. It ignores the lived realities of those fleeing abuse and trauma, and risks turning Canada's borders into instruments of harm. We must uphold our commitments to human rights and ensure that no one is denied protection because of how or when they arrive." Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights, stated: "Survivors fleeing gender-based violence abroad are learning about legal processes while living with profound trauma, often under the control of abusive partners who restrict their access to information and support. Imposing strict time limits on these most marginalized refugees ignores Canada's commitments to gender equity and safety. Denying survivors access to protection based on how or when they arrived in Canada is not only unjust—it is dangerous." Four statements denouncing Bill C-2 from a broad cross-section of civil society The four coalition statements demonstrate the breadth of opposition to Bill C-2: "Withdraw Bill C-2" - Initiated by the Migrant Rights Network, Canadian Council for Refugees and International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, with endorsements from 176 organizations including the Canadian Labour Congress; Canada's national housing rights organization - National Right to Housing Network; Canada's largest Climate coalition - Climate Action Network Canada; as well as The United Church of Canada, Oxfam Canada, Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and others. "Joint Call for the Withdrawal of Bill C-2" - Led by OpenMedia and signed by 39 prominent organizations including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and Canadian Anti-Hate Network, plus 122 individual legal experts and academics. This statement focuses on the bill's degradation of privacy rights and its preparation for controversial data-sharing with foreign governments. "Open Letter: Canada puts refugee claimants at risk with Bill C-2" - Initiated by OCASI (Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants) and endorsed by 71 refugee and settlement organizations, as well as the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and YWCA branches nationwide. The letter details how the bill violates international refugee law and puts vulnerable claimants at grave risk. "Statement: Bill C-2 Risks Undermining Canada's Commitments to Gender-Based Violence Survivors" - Supported by 48 organizations including the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, Canadian Women's Foundation, Women's Shelters Canada, and YWCA Canada. This statement highlights the disproportionate and dangerous impact Bill C-2 would have on survivors of gender-based violence who face additional barriers while dealing with trauma. Notes: What Bill C-2 Would Do Impact on ALL Canadians: Mass Surveillance Without Warrants: Police and CSIS can demand to know whether you have an online account with any organization or service in Canada, along with information like how long you've had it for or where you've logged in from, with no warrant required. A lower bar for more data: Law enforcement with a warrant can demand production of your online data, unencrypted emails, and browsing history from any company based only on "reasonable suspicion"— not the current standard of reasonable belief. Forced Corporate Spying: Companies must keep records of your personal data under secret government orders, with blanket immunity for privacy violations for handing over more than they should. Foreign Access to Your Data: Bill C-2 makes necessary changes to prepare Canada to endorse the US CLOUD Act and additional protocols of the Budapest Cybercrime Convention. These treaties would allow US authorities and other foreign governments to make similar data requests to Canadian entities, undermining Canada's constitutional protections and data sovereignty. Inadequate Legal Recourse: Only five days are allowed to challenge secret surveillance orders, with blanket civil immunity for companies that comply, ensuring even excessive orders go unchallenged. Refugee and Immigration Measures: One-Year Refugee Deadline: Bill C-2 blocks anyone who has been in Canada more than one year from seeking refugee status—even if their home country becomes dangerous after arrival. This applies retroactively to everyone since June 2020, and is fundamentally inconsistent with international humanitarian law. Eliminates US Border Exception: Previously, those crossing from the US between official ports could apply for refugee status after 14 days. Bill C-2 removes this completely, trapping vulnerable people under Trump's xenophobic policies. Mass Deportation Powers: The Immigration Minister gains authority to cancel permits for entire groups without due process—including revoking permanent residency applications and cards already submitted. Migrants could lose status overnight with no legal recourse. Privacy Protections Removed: The bill allows unrestricted information sharing about migrants across all government levels. Undocumented workers asserting labour rights could face deportation when employers report them to border enforcement.

Ontarians have just lost core democratic protections — and few realize it
Ontarians have just lost core democratic protections — and few realize it

Toronto Star

timea day ago

  • Business
  • Toronto Star

Ontarians have just lost core democratic protections — and few realize it

Shortly after 4 p.m. on June 4, Ontario took a sharp turn away from democracy. That's when Bill 5, ironically titled the 'Protecting Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act,' became law. Marketed as a way to protect jobs and respond to Trump -era tariffs, this legislation quietly hands Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet sweeping new powers. In a paradoxical twist, the premier has adopted elements of the Trump playbook — consolidating power, overriding laws and sidelining oversight — all while claiming to be protecting Ontario from Trump-style politics. Let's be clear: no one is claiming that Premier Ford is Trump. But Bill 5 echoes tactics associated with Trumpism — the centralization of authority, the bypassing of laws and norms, and the creation of opaque zones of exception. These are not just procedural changes. They represent a profound shift in how power operates in Ontario. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Contributors Opinion Doug Ford wants to create rules-free zones in Ontario. We shouldn't let him Mike Schreiner, Contributor Most Ontarians likely haven't heard much about Bill 5 — thanks to slick messaging from the premier's office. The limited coverage has mostly focused on opposition from First Nations leaders. But behind that, something more fundamental has changed. Ontarians have just lost core democratic protections — and few realize it. Here's what the bill actually does: it lets the premier designate any piece of land in Ontario a 'special economic zone.' Inside that zone, Ford and his cabinet can override any provincial law — environmental, labour, planning — you name it. They can then invite businesses to operate on terms they alone define. In effect, cabinet gets to pick which laws apply, to whom and where. That's not red tape reduction. That's rule-of-law suspension. Ford insists the bill is a necessary economic weapon against U.S. protectionism. He claims that cutting through bureaucracy will boost investment and jobs. But let's be honest: this isn't just about economic competitiveness. It's about centralizing power and removing constraints. And while regulatory systems often need reform, wholesale demolition isn't the answer. Improving laws is one thing; giving cabinet the power to selectively discard them is something else entirely. Until June 4, Ontario had a system designed to ensure no one — not even the premier — was above the law. Our legal frameworks were meant to apply equally. But with Bill 5, that principle is shattered. The premier now has the tools to govern by exception. What could go wrong? Consider this: a politically connected developer wants to build on environmentally sensitive land. Community members oppose it. Laws protect it. But now, the premier can designate it a 'special economic zone,' sidestep those laws and green light the project. There is no public appeal. No independent review. Or worse: suppose the government wants to target an individual or group it disfavours. With Bill 5, it could declare their property a special zone and strip away tenant protections, land use rights, or other safeguards. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Or just as bad: the premier could use Bill 5 to impose his pet projects wherever he pleases — our parks, cottage country, conservation areas, even the Greenbelt. Provincial Politics Doug Ford says 'people don't give two hoots' about the Greenbelt fiasco Robert Benzie This is not hypothetical. Ford has a pattern: he instituted 'strong mayor' powers that allow mayors to ignore their councils. He routinely uses ministerial zoning orders (MZOs). Just last month, he signalled interest in allowing ministers to override provincial planning laws at will. With each move, checks and balances are chipped away. Trust us, they say — we won't misuse these powers. But democracy doesn't rely on trusting the people in power. It relies on limits to power — on clear rules, transparent processes and institutions strong enough to say no. No premier — however popular or persuasive — should be allowed to choose which laws apply and to whom. Because once the precedent is set, it will outlast the government that set it. Ontarians who care about democracy can't afford to stay silent. If we don't speak up now, we may not have the tools to do so later. Doug Ford is not Donald Trump. But in adopting some of the same governing tactics — concentrating power, circumventing laws and undermining public protections — he is veering into dangerous territory. Ontario doesn't need a strongman to stand up to Trump. It needs strong democratic institutions. Bill 5 is a giant step in the wrong direction and must be repealed. Let's not pretend otherwise.

Police turn to an AI tool to investigate Sherman murders + cops back in schools spark mixed reactions
Police turn to an AI tool to investigate Sherman murders + cops back in schools spark mixed reactions

Toronto Star

time11-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Toronto Star

Police turn to an AI tool to investigate Sherman murders + cops back in schools spark mixed reactions

Good morning. This is the Wednesday, June 11 edition of First Up, the Star's daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox. Good morning. Did you notice a reddish hue to the moon last night? No you weren't imagining things (promise), that was June's strawberry moon making an appearance, a phenomenon that won't be seen again until 2043. Here's what makes it so special. And here's the latest on police adding a resource to help with the investigation into the Sherman murders, a proposed legislation that could put police back in schools and how more visible minorities in the GTA are leaning blue. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW DON'T MISS Police have turned to an AI tool to investigate the Sherman murders Here's how Microsoft Power BI is helping investigators with the case. Toronto police skipped 'Homicide 101' and never sought alibis from family and friends of murdered billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman Barry and Honey Sherman: how the second autopsy revealed it was a double murder Doug Ford's plan for putting cops in schools is getting mixed reactions Officers could be back in the hallways next year. Here's why some are concerned. Doug Ford accused of 'Trump-style politics' with legislation that allows sweeping new powers over the education sector Ford government's changes to children's aid societies miss what actually needs fixing, critics charge Conservative support increased for visible minorities in the GTA Here's how Conservatives attracted the group, which shifted 20 percentage points rightward in some ridings. 'The most honest reflection of the country': Inside the 905 — the ridings that helped deny Mark Carney a majority WHAT ELSE Canada's supply management system protects Canadian farmers by limiting the amount of dairy, eggs and poultry that can be imported into Canada duty-free. Lance McMillan/ Toronto Star file photo With U.S. trade aggression heating up, the protection of Canada's dairy, poultry and eggs intensifies. Mark Carney's government plans to balance AI regulation against the promise to unlock its potential. Here's how. Here's what life is like right now for a community taking shelter from wildfires in hotels near Pearson airport. Heather Mallick: Smoke drifting into Toronto has me choking on past lives in the north. Canada Post's workers union accused the company of trying to dictate a new contract. Here's the latest. The defence in the Hockey Canada trial said the complainant lied under oath. Catch up on the trial here. The Bathurst bus lane battle continues. See the local councillors' latest offer to her constituents. The 2025 Polaris Prize nominees are here. This is who made the list for Canada's top music award. This Toronto couple had creative wedding gifts. Thirty years later, students are still benefiting. From rib festivals to car shows, here are a few ways to celebrate Father's Day in Toronto. Dave Feschuk: The secret to winning the NBA Finals is hidden in lowlight reels. Gregor Chisholm: The surging Blue Jays are getting value from someone new almost every night. POV Inviting Narenda Modi to the G7 summit was the right move for Mark Carney. CLOSE UP Striking employees of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board march around its head office as the strike enters its third week. Steve Russell/ Toronto Star TORONTO: Some 3,600 employees of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) march around its head office as their strike enters its third week. The Ontario Compensation Employees Union blasted the government agency yesterday for using automation to handle a backlog of claims during the strike. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@ I will see you back here tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

The lessons from IDP Education's week from Hell
The lessons from IDP Education's week from Hell

Herald Sun

time06-06-2025

  • Business
  • Herald Sun

The lessons from IDP Education's week from Hell

The student recruiter has been hit by the migration backlash not just here, but in Canada, the UK and the US Other listed colleges are tweaking their business models to focus on domestic students While there's no end of the pain in sight, some brokers reckon IDP Education is a buy at its marked-down valuation It's not unusual for a small cap stock to decline 50% in value or more in one day. But when the top 200 stock IDP Education (ASX:IEL) achieved that this week – erasing more than $1 billion of market value – it was a case of 'class, take note'. The dramatic plunge came after the overseas student wrangler's confession on Tuesday that full-year revenue and earnings would plummet on the back of visa crackdowns. The stock has lost an astonishing 75% over the last year. Arguably the downgrade was years in the making, given the quality issues besetting both the tertiary and vocational sectors for some years. Still, investors were shocked by the scale of the revision or maybe they just hadn't done their homework. IDP guided to a 28-30% decline in student placement volumes, with its language testing arm likely to fall by 18-20%. Adjusted earnings before interest and tax (ebit) are expected at $115-125 million, a circa 50% year-on-year decline and well shy of market expectations of $166 million. Trump-like 'regulation by fiat' The visa crackdown was contained in a bill that the old Parliament did not pass, but government went ahead via a Trump-style Ministerial Directive (MD107). The measure means visa applications are processed on the perceived risk of the education provider and the student's country of origin. Dubbed by college operator Academies Australasia (ASX:AKG) as 'regulation by fiat', the measure compounds the problems of providers with high visa rejection rates. The reasons for the knock-backs are likely to be beyond the colleges' control. Nowhere to hide as migration policies bite IDP's problems don't start and end at home. Half-owned by sandstone universities, the company started out as a local uni recruiter but now touts for colleges in the UK, Canada and the US. Half of the company's revenue deriving from English language testing and teaching. The UK is even more zealous on reducing migration, as is Canada given the backdrop of the recent close election. We'll simply call US a no-go zone, given Trump's order to block Harvard University from admitting international students. Heeding the lessons IDP is not the only ASX-listed, overseas student focused education play feeling the pinch. It's a case of accepting the new reality and adapting. The amalgam of Icollege and Redhill Education, NextEd Group (ASX:NXD) reported a $2.2 million first half loss, amid a 21% revenue decline (to $47 million). However Nexted offset some of the impact of a 52% English language services decline with increased international vocation enrolment. The aforementioned Academies managed to grow half year revenue by 2.8% (to $23.9 million). The company also narrowed a previous $7.5 million loss to a $958,000 deficit. Operator of the Ikon (tertiary) and ALG (vocational) colleges, EDU Holdings (ASX:EDU) gets a gold star by doubling calendar 2024 revenue to $42 million. The company also managed a $2.6 million profit after three years of losses. Gary Burg told last month's AGM the impact of the visa changes remained unclear and the company was focusing on the domestic student market. A free kick of the 'political football'? Despite the IDP sell down there's still a country mile between its $1 billion market cap and the circa $20-40 million valuation ascribed to the other providers. As with all harsh sell-offs, have investors have over-reacted? Broker UBS contends IDP's business model is unbroken and the company 'remains a high-quality business in challenging conditions'. The firm rates the stock a 'buy' with a price target of $4.95, implying around 40% of upside. IDP is undertaking a detailed business review, with an update promised at its August full-year results. At Academies' AGM last year, acting chairman Chiang Meng Heng decried the sector being turned into a political Sherrin. 'Certain comments being bandied about smack of populism, rather than carefully considered positions that are good for the country,' he said. 'The air may not clear until after the federal election.' More than a month after the poll, clarity awaits. Originally published as Criterion: IDP Education's share plunge is a harsh lesson for the overseas student industry

The BYU grad at the heart of Trump's trade war
The BYU grad at the heart of Trump's trade war

Yahoo

time04-06-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

The BYU grad at the heart of Trump's trade war

The Trump administration may have left its toughest task this week to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a 44-year-old alumnus of Brigham Young University from Paradise, California. Greer, who learned to speak fluent French during a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Brussels, Belgium, will be representing the United States at the annual meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France, on Wednesday. There, Greer will attempt to advance tariff negotiations with trade ministers from top economies like Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Japan and South Korea. He is also scheduled to meet with officials from India, Malaysia, Vietnam and the European Union. 'I speak to (the president) on nearly a daily basis,' Greer told CNBC on Friday. 'When it comes to the pure economics, we have problems with all kinds of countries, friend or foe, and we are trying to resolve those.' But hanging over Greer's diplomatic efforts is a shifting policy environment complicating his mandate to translate President Donald Trump's vision of a remade international order that benefits American manufacturing into concrete trade deals with foreign allies and adversaries. Last week, a U.S. trade court ruled unanimously that Trump lacked the authority from Congress to impose blanket tariffs on imports from around the world. On Thursday, a federal court granted the administration's request to keep the tariffs in place while they appeal the ruling. On Friday, Trump accused China of breaking a trade war truce, with Greer alleging on CNBC that Chinese counterparts had been 'slow-rolling' their reversal of export bans on rare-earth materials, a claim Chinese officials rejected on Monday in a statement. Also on Friday, Trump announced an increase in steel tariffs from 25% to 50%, set to take effect on Wednesday, drawing rebukes from trade partners, including EU officials who said the move 'undermines ongoing efforts to reach a negotiated solution.' Despite his difficult position, however, Greer's former mentors, law partners and associates say there are few people more prepared than Greer to balance the demands of a Trump White House with the realities of foreign relations and the needs of American workers. Former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer remembers exactly why he recruited Greer — then a JAG attorney in the Air Force — to work at his practice representing American producers harmed by unfair trade. And it had nothing to do with Greer's policy expertise. 'He didn't know international trade at all when I hired him,' Lighthizer said in an interview with the Deseret News. 'But he was a person of character and a patriot, so that's a pretty good foundation to start the analysis.' Greer's working-class background paired with his experience abroad made him open to Lighthizer's worldview as the chief intellectual proponent of Trump-style tariffs to reduce trade deficits and boost made-in-America-products, according to Lighthizer. Raised in a mobile home, with parents taking multiple jobs to make ends meet, Greer understood 'the struggles that Americans face when they are cut out of economic growth' because they aren't on a 'level playing field' with other countries, as Greer said during congressional testimony in February. Representing only domestic companies, Lighthizer led a team of lawyers at the Washington, D.C., office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, who he said were guided by the philosophy that protecting stable, well-paying manufacturing jobs would, in turn, 'help maintain families, which help maintain communities, which is the reason the country is strong.' Under the tutelage of Lighthizer, who had served as the deputy U.S. trade representative for President Ronald Reagan, Greer and others were 'taught' this brand of trade law from the basics, according to Stephen Vaughn, who worked with Greer both at Skadden and at his current firm King & Spalding. Instead of approaching international trade from the perspective of spreadsheets and formulas, their representation of actual American factories gave Greer a firsthand look at how some free trade agreements had let foreign countries take advantage of U.S. companies, Vaughn said. 'So today, when he goes in and sits down with these other countries, he has an enormous experience in terms of not just what it looks like in an economics textbook, but what it looks like in the real world,' Vaughn said. When Lighthizer was tapped as Trump's first trade representative in 2017, Skadden became a pipeline to the White House, with Greer and Vaughn taking charge of the Office of the United States Trade Representative while Lighthizer awaited congressional approval. For the next few years, Vaughn served as Lighthizer's general counsel and Greer worked as his chief of staff, where, according to Vaughn, Greer made a name for himself as an effective advocate for Lighthizer and the president's views on international trade. 'He's brilliant — he's one of the most talented people I've ever dealt with,' Vaughn told the Deseret News. 'But he's a very grounded person.' During Trump's first term, Greer developed the skills he would need to later fill Lighthizer's shoes, helping to craft trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, South Korea and Japan, while implementing a package of tariffs on Chinese imports, according to Steve Orava, who worked with Greer as chair of King & Spalding's international trade practice based in Brussels. 'It's taking what the president wants to do, which is often very general, and coming up with the legal pathways,' Orava told the Deseret News. 'And sometimes that takes creativity, it takes coalition building, it takes communication with others in order to make that happen.' But as Lighthizer's chief of staff Greer also developed the all-important relationship with Trump that would allow the president to entrust him with trade policy negotiations during his second administration. In one notable interaction, Greer flew with Trump on Air Force One to visit Greer's hometown of Paradise in 2018 where the deadliest wildfire in California history had taken the lives of 85 individuals and destroyed more than 18,000 structures, including the home of Greer's parents, who Greer had arranged to meet with Trump on the airport tarmac. As Trump's trade representative in 2025, Greer has been a loyal defender of the president's norm-breaking agenda, with his historic 'Liberation Day' declaration of global 10% tariffs, threats of steeper levies on countries with large trade imbalances and a series of sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and auto parts. Despite dramatic impacts on the stock market, and predictions of increased costs for companies and prices for consumers, Greer has said Trump's policies are 'already bearing fruit,' are unlikely to cause inflation and are 'common sense' reforms to address the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs and industrial base capacity. In this belief, there is no daylight between Greer and the populist right's role model of economic policy, Lighthizer, according to Mark DiPlacido, a policy adviser at the conservative think tank American Compass, who briefly served under Greer as the deputy assistant trade representative for public affairs. 'Lighthizer, he more than anyone else, has probably been the most influential on the trade policy side of the 'new right' for a lot of government and policy professionals,' DiPlacido said. 'And Jamieson seems to be taking a similar approach.' It's a 'very complicated job' that Greer has before him, Lighthizer said, navigating fluctuating signals from the White House, maintaining relationships with offended international partners and collaborating closely with a dysfunctional Congress. Lighthizer expects Greer to be 'one of the stars' of the second Trump administration because he 'knows in his heart what the objective is,' which is to create 'an economic system that emphasizes American production and the American worker that leads to the overall strength of America.' Jonathan Freedman, the CEO of World Trade Center Utah, said he hopes the administration's priorities will be able to expand manufacturing options in the state, which has led the nation in manufacturing job growth since 2019. It is always an advantage to have someone with a relationship to Utah in a cabinet-level position, according to Freedman. And Greer has made his office open to feedback, reaching out to businesses across the country with open comment periods to share how they have been impacted by tariffs. Ultimately, any shift in international trade policy significantly impacts Utah business operations, Freedman said. Especially for those companies that rely on components and raw materials only found out of the country. 'The USTR has a tough job; he's in the middle of high pressure, complex negotiations with foreign countries, and the result of those negotiations have significant impact on Utah businesses,' Freedman said. 'I'm not sure that prior U.S. trade representatives have been involved with as ambitious of trade negotiations, and I think that Ambassador Greer is doing his best to thread the needle.'

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