Washington must avoid new tariffs with Ottawa: Canadian and U.S. mayors

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a multinational coalition of municipal and Indigenous government executives representing communities in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region, said Thursday the time is now to rebuild trade relations and invest in local water infrastructure.

That region represents nearly 50 per cent of all Canada-U.S. bilateral trade and forms a $12.98-trillion economy, it said.

“The U.S.-Canada trade relationship has long been a pillar for the economic growth and prosperity of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Region,” said Toronto Deputy Mayor Paul Ainslie in a news release.

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The group is also urging Washington to preserve and strengthen the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and avoid any new tariffs or tariff increases on Canada during its review this year.

The asks come as Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is set to head to Washington.

LeBlanc will be stateside Friday ahead of the CUSMA review, which is set for this summer.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a media availability in Australia Wednesday that Canada’s free trade pact with the United States “effectively has been broken in the short-term by U.S. actions.”

Canada has been feeling the impact of sectoral U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber and the auto sector.

Carney said certain protocols under CUSMA weren’t followed when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered tariffs on Canada.

He added Canada is looking to this year’s CUSMA review as a process to “re-establish the trust” individuals, businesses and investors need to guide trade between the nations.

LeBlanc’s trip also comes after a judge with the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Wednesday that businesses are owed refunds for Trump’s tariffs levied under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — a set of duties ruled illegal by the Supreme Court last month.

— With files from The Canadian Press

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