“American and Canadian Mayors should work in a more coordinated way to fight against a US/Canada trade war,” said Brampton Councillor Rowena Santos.
Earlier this week the US Conference of Mayors issued a statement reinforcing what some municipal leaders in Canada have been saying for months; trade wars hurt cities.
Santos and Whitby Regional Councillor Chris Leahy said that Mayors could in fact act like peacekeepers in a trade war in order to keep the warring parties from causing harm.
Both Councillors believe the mayors should form an official permanent alliance.
“There is a special alignment and bond between local municipalities in both countries, held together by the business community and integrated supply chain. We know that local governments value the longstanding ally-ship between Canada and US. This is an opportunity to form an alliance against the Trump Tax,”
suggests Santos.Consistent with an ongoing City-To-City strategy, Santos will be encouraging the City of Brampton and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to convene a cross-border meeting of local governments and initiate the creation of an alliance.
“As a Board Member of FCM and vocal Councillor on this issue, I see an opportunity to establish an Alliance of Municipalities Against Tariffs. If there’s any order of government who understands the severity of this trade war, it’s local,” says Santos. “In our city-to-city approach, making this collaboration official through an alliance, would be another bold step for municipalities to fight a trade war and defend local economies on both sides of the border.”
“On January 20, 2025 we launched a FromCityToCity.ca advertising campaign directed at participants in the presidential inauguration ceremonies in Washington DC. The message in the advertisement illustrated how a trade war would hurt both Canadian and US economies. More specifically, when a plant shuts down or slows down in a city or town, it’s our local jobs and economy that will feel it first and the most, regardless of what side of the border,” said Leahy and Santos jointly.
“Yesterday US Mayors publicly agreed. I commend and thank the US Conference of Mayors who stated that tariffs would inflict severe economic harm on American businesses and consumers. The emergency motion passed by the US Conference of Mayors’ Executive Committee, urges the Trump administration to reverse course and protect trade relations with Canada,“ said Santos.
“Taking a city-to-city approach, Canadian Mayors should issue a similar statement and consider holding an emergency meeting together with their American counterparts in solidarity with all municipalities who will be affected by tariffs and the trade war between Canada and the US,“ added Leahy.
“As a local official from across the border, it is comforting to know that local officials in America get it and collectively stand with us in valuing our mutually beneficial trade relations. But more action is needed,” said Santos definitively.
Our hope is that Canadian Mayors take the lead and consider the statement by the US conference of Mayors as an invitation to work together and take action with their American counterparts to stop the madness.
“While rumours of a trade deal circulate, it is still not carved in stone. Businesses need certainty in order to plan their capital investments and plan for future growth.”
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