Staring down a $40M tariff bill, this American importer is suing Trump to end some tariffs on Canada
Gellert Global Group is suing the Trump administration over 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, claiming the costs are unsustainable for the food distribution business. The lawsuit challenges the use of the Depression-era Smoot-Hawley Act to justify the current trade duties.
Why it matters
The case highlights the economic impact of trade wars on small-to-medium enterprises and the legal challenges surrounding executive trade policy.
Thomas Gellert, CEO of Gellert Global Group, stands inside the company's refrigerated warehouse in Elizabeth, N.J. His company is suing the Trump administration over its 50 per cent tariffs on certain Canadian goods. (Katie Simpson/CBC)
Inside a sprawling refrigerated warehouse, tucked into an industrial neighbourhood not far from New Jersey's Newark Airport, you'll find a new front in the U.S.-Canada trade war.
It's the headquarters of Gellert Global Group, a third-generation, family-owned food distribution company that is suing the Trump administration over its 50 per cent tariffs on certain Canadian goods and seeking refunds.
In one of his first broadcast interviews since launching the lawsuit, Thomas Gellert, the company's CEO, says he felt he had to do something.
We can't sustain a tariff like this on these products for much longer, he said during an interview with CBC News on the floor of the warehouse in Elizabeth, N.J.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in