The City of Windsor is going to look at developing a 'Buy Canadian' policy in the wake of the ongoing trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump.
City council passed a motion introduced by Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie during Monday's meeting that is focused on addressing tariffs being levied by the U.S. government on Canada and countries around the world.
As part of the motion, the city is endorsing a federal and provincial call for a 'Buy Canadian' policy for all municipal procurement processes and prioritizing Canadian-made goods and services wherever feasible to support local and domestic businesses and workers.
McKenzie says the city supports initiatives aimed at addressing the tariff issues in the municipality.
"We'd like for tools to be developed on the procurement side that address the inflationary pieces that we will see as a result of the tariffs being imposed between Canada and the United States," he says.
The city is also calling on the federal and provincial governments to remove any impediments to municipalities preferring Canadian companies in the context of municipal procurement.
McKenzie says they've had the discussion about procurement many times over the years and purchasing decisions that are locally focused.
"The answer has always been because of our trade obligations; we have to be more open to procuring whatever good or service from anyone who can offer a competitive bid. Unfortunately, the United States has thrown the trade rules out the window, and we're now in a new environment," he says.
McKenzie says a 'Buy Canadian' policy is probably one of the most powerful tools that municipalities have when it comes to the tariff discussion between Canada and the U.S.
"Across Ontario, in terms of procurement dollars, municipalities are making investments in excess of $10 billion per year. If we decided to all of a sudden take all of those funds and direct them to local procurement options, that could be an impactful part of the discussion," he says.
U.S. President Trump has imposed a 25 per cent levy on all imported vehicles, although there are exceptions for vehicle components of CUSMA-compliant products.
Levies on steel and aluminium-which took effect on March 12 - are also in place.
A 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports and 10 per cent on Canadian energy and potash are also in effect on all non-CUSMA-compliant goods.
Canada had responded to Trump's tariffs by imposing a 25 per cent tariff on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods, along with similar tariffs on vehicles imported from the United States.
With files from CTV News