Jim Jarrell

President & Chief Executive Officer, Linamar

Search every verified Jim Jarrell interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Jim Jarrell, president and CEO of Linamar, discussed the impact of U.S. tariffs on the company in a BNN Bloomberg interview following the collapse of U.S.-Canada trade talks. He stated that over 90% of Linamar's sales are currently unaffected by tariffs, and that recent tariff rounds have had minimal impact due to remission support, though the original 232 tariffs and their derivatives continue to affect the company's industrial business. Jarrell described a potential 50% tariff on automotive parts crossing the border as "almost like the nuclear bomb," saying it would bring the automotive market to a close quickly and could not be absorbed, adding that he believed targeted negotiations toward a mutual agreement would be necessary. Jarrell noted that Linamar had not factored potential future tariffs into its plans as of the interview, and that on the mobility side, the company is not the importer of record for parts moving from Canada to the U.S., meaning the impact would fall on automakers such as Ford, GM, and Stellantis. He characterized the current tariff environment as "a business person's nightmare" but also "an entrepreneurial dream," citing the company's record year for new business wins and saying that Linamar was ahead of its 2025 pace for business coming to Canada. He expressed a preference for working toward zero tariffs, stating the company's belief in "bigger, better together."