Section is towards middle. They don’t disclose how much the surplus is, but the obvious conclusion is that if Canadians never buy another US made vehicle, then it is a net reduction in jobs/revenue for US makers even if entire Canadian auto sector is destroyed. It is a significant ask for US investment if end result is losing money/US jobs for it.
I hope they use more export tariffs than retaliation (import) tariffs. Increasing prices in US has more impact than them losing sales, and especially if we’re boycotting even non-tariffed products.
In the end, tariffs are terrible for unity. Cooperation between nations. But, Alberta may care about its oil profits more than about Ontario employment. The same happens in US though. You have a trade deficit with your barber, and shouldn’t care that much. But paying $5k-$10k more for a car to support policy that will supposedly create more jobs in Michigan, in 5 years, doesn’t have huge appeal to non Michigan auto workers.
Auto tariffs on US can be a tool to keep Canadian auto production though.