Hamilton mayor heads to Washington after Trump says he'll go ahead with tariffs on Canadian goods
U.S. president confirmed Monday he'll impose tariffs starting Tuesday
Hamilton's mayor is headed to Washington this week to advocate against tariffs that President Donald Trump says he will impose on goods from Canada beginning Tuesday.
"These tariffs would deal a billion-dollar economic blow to our city," Andrea Horwath said in a news release Monday. "Thousands of Hamiltonians rely on manufacturing jobs to support their families."
Horwath will be in D.C. from Tuesday to Friday. Her trip coincides with Great Lakes Day, and she would be joined at the meeting "by over a dozen mayors and elected officials from Ontario and Quebec advocating for the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin," her office said.
The trip is one of several ways the mayor says she is supporting Hamilton's manufacturing sector in the wake of looming tariffs.
In a news conference Monday afternoon, Trump restated his plan to impose a 25 per cent levy on virtually all Canadian and Mexican imports. He previously said there will be 25 per cent steel- and aluminum-specific tariffs coming March 12 that could stack on top of the general tariffs.
Also on Monday, the mayor convened a roundtable meeting that included 14 of Hamilton's largest manufacturers, the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority, the Hamilton International Airport, city leaders and local chambers of commerce. They met to "assess impacts and discuss strategies to protect local jobs and industries."
Horwath said other actions she's taken in response to potential tariffs include introducing a motion for the city to buy local as well as Canadian goods and services, and working with municipal organizations to voice Hamilton's concerns.
Also in response to the tariff threats, city council is scheduled to discuss on Wednesday a plan to change its procurement policies.
Hamilton industries already feeling effects
Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland spoke Monday morning to workers and reporters at Hamilton steel manufacturer Stelco, where Freeland said production had already dropped because of the tariff threats.
CBC Hamilton asked Stelco parent company Cleveland Cliffs for more information but did not receive a response before publication.
In February, workers at National Steel Car in Hamilton also said tariff threats were already hurting business.
At Stelco, Freeland said she was meeting many workers for the third or fourth time, since she visited when Trump put tariffs on Canadian steel in 2018.
Freeland said Canada fought back then and she would do so again if elected next week as leader of the governing Liberals. Freeland said she would impose "dollar for dollar retaliation," targeted on specific products and businesses such as Tesla.
Freeland said Monday the tariffs are a "colossally stupid, self-mutilating plan" that will harm Americans and if Canadians fight back, U.S. citizens will tell Trump to back off.
Freeland spent about 20 minutes speaking to Stelco workers, telling them Canadians are behind them and asking them how they felt about the tariff threat.
She told reporters one worker said his wife is making efforts to buy Canadian, and another told her he'd talk to his fellow union members in the U.S. and get them to advocate against tariffs.
The other Liberal leadership candidates — Karina Gould, Frank Baylis and Mark Carney — have also largely agreed that Canada should issue retaliatory tariffs and work to strengthen the national economy.
Niagara government, industry meeting regularly
In Niagara Falls, Ont., some American tourists told CBC News they were there to show they oppose the tariffs.
The region's director of economic development, George Spezza, said industry and government leaders are meeting regularly to assess expected impacts to businesses such as manufacturing. He said tariffs would impact about 30,000 jobs in the region.
The economic threat has led to hard feelings, with people at sports and entertainment events booing during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
In the Ontario municipality of West Lincoln in Niagara, council voted to take down an American flag that had been up in a community centre for years.
"Our neighbours from the south aren't necessarily respecting us," said William Reilly, the councillor who brought the motion forward.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said Canadians and Americans have more to gain together than apart.
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With files from John Paul Tasker, Naama Weingarten