At Monday night’s Whitby Council meeting next week, Mayor Elizabeth Roy intends to introduce a motion on potential trade tariffs between Canada and the U.S.
According to the motion, businesses in Whitby, including those in the manufacturing, automotive, and agricultural sectors, could face challenges as a result of U.S. tariffs. The Town of Whitby is working with local businesses and the Regional Municipality of Durham to understand potential impacts and to collaborate on strategies to strengthen the local economy.
The motion resolves that the Town of Whitby supports the efforts of the provincial and federal governments to to strike a trade deal with the United States. It also endorses the Ontario government’s ‘Fortress Am-Can’ initiative and encourages municipal organizations and mayors across the province to support it. The motion further calls on the federal government to take action to protect Ontario’s interests in trade negotiations and asks both levels of government to remove barriers preventing municipalities preferring Canadian companies for capital projects and supplies.
The motion cites trade data and economic concerns regarding U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
According to the motion, the Windsor-Detroit border crossing handles approximately one-third of all trade between Canada and the U.S., amounting to about $1 billion per day. The Ontario government estimates that the proposed U.S. tariffs could impact between 450,000 and 500,000 Ontario jobs.
The motion references Premier Doug Ford’s outlined Ontario’s forthcoming ‘Fortress Am-Can’ plan, which focuses on strengthening trade between Ontario and the U.S. focusing on key issues including national security, electricity grids, building out critical mineral supply chains, and advanced manufacturing supply chains. It also references the federal government’s Canada-U.S. relations council that supports efforts to address potential tariffs, including representatives from the auto sector, unions, industry, and agriculture.
The motion also notes data from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, which indicates that municipalities in the province are expected to spend approximately $290 billion on infrastructure over the next decade. It states that trade agreements have traditionally prevented municipalities from giving preference to ‘Buy Canadian’.
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