Trade war will 'hurt us both,' Canadian delegation tells American municipal leaders
Yarmouth mayor says some U.S. mayors didn't know tariffs had been imposed
A Nova Scotia municipal leader on a recent Canadian delegation to Washington, D.C., says the group stressed to their American counterparts the current trade war will make life more expensive for citizens on both sides of the border.
Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood was part of a Federation of Canadian Municipalities delegation that attended the National League of Cities conference on Sunday and Monday.
"We're here as friends, allies, neighbours forever, to help share that message so that you understand that it is going to hurt us both," Mood said in an interview Wednesday, summing up the message they delivered.
Mood said it was an "eye-opening" experience for her, and she met some mayors from the United States who didn't know tariffs had been imposed, or what their impacts would be.
That's why it was especially important to spread awareness among local politicians, Mood said. She's hopeful those mayors and councillors will press their governors for change once they return home.
"I think we know how politicians react when the people on the ground are screaming. It may not work with this [U.S.] administration, but we have to do everything we can," Mood said.
Mood said she and the other group members, an Ottawa city councillor and the mayor of Dorval, Que., gave presentations and spoke with various municipal leaders about the reality of the tariff fight.
They discussed how the price of new homes and cars will go up for both Canadian and American buyers, Mood said, and highlighted how farmers in the U.S. rely heavily on Canadian potash for their fertilizer.
California cities like Los Angeles affected by devastating fires will also find it more difficult and expensive to source lumber from Canada to rebuild homes, Mood said.
"The No. 1 thing we got were apologies. You know, 'We're so sorry this is happening to you. You're Canada, you've been our friend, you've been our ally,'" Mood said.
"And, you know, the message back was, 'Listen, we know it's not the people, and we're sorry as well, because you're going to hurt. We're going to hurt. And none of us wants this."
U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance spoke at the conference, and Mood said he focused on the importance of local governance and housing. But she said he didn't address how tariffs will lead to construction cost increases for those housing projects.
"I could have responded every time to say 'But that's not quite it. You know, you're leaving out the hurtful impacts,' and that's what's important to these people on the ground," Mood said.
The only mention Vance made of tensions between the countries was when he said how pleased he was to see Canada moving to "tighten the border" to prevent drugs from flowing into the U.S., Mood said.
President Donald Trump has cited fentanyl crossing into the U.S. from Canada as justification for his administration's tariffs. The U.S. government's own data shows Canada is not a significant source of illegal fentanyl with less than 20 kilograms of the drug seized at the northern border last year.
The Canadian delegation also met with the Democratic Mayors Association, Mood said, and Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther, president of the United States Conference of Mayors.
Mood said they asked to meet with the Republican Mayors Association as well. They were told that group would get back to them "but they didn't."
Although Mood said she understands the pressure of not wanting to upset higher levels of Republican government who "hold the chequebook," those in public service should have a loyalty to their residents first, she said.
The latest volley in the trade saga came Wednesday when Trump placed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum. In response, the Canadian government slapped tariffs on nearly $30 billion worth of American goods.
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