Brampton helping lead charge in Team Canada tariff battle
Brampton Coun. Rowena Santos (second left), and Mayor Patrick Brown (left) were recently joined by colleagues Coun. Gurpartop Toor, Coun. Navjit Brar, and director of economic development Denise McClure at an announcement of the city's Made in Canada procurement policy campaign. Photo: Rowena Santos
Municipal officials from across Canada have been stepping up for months in light of the tariff threats of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mayors and council colleagues from Toronto, Winnipeg, Saint John, and many other municipalities have not only spoken out against Trump’s tariff threats but have also engaged in discussions with their American counterparts. Their goal is to prevent what is shaping up to be a North American trade war.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has been part of this movement. In fact, the mayor was one of the earliest voices calling for municipalities to play a significant role in Canada’s tariff response.
Brampton was one of the first Canadian cities to adopt a “Made in Canada procurement policy,” showing strong support for Canadian businesses. The city will also review current contracts to find legal ways to exit agreements with U.S.-owned companies and their subsidiaries.
The city also announced it would update its purchasing bylaw to prohibit U.S.-owned companies or their subsidiaries from participating in City of Brampton procurements.
Recently, Brampton’s commitment continued as city council passed a motion calling for “strong, reciprocal measures” and the creation of a mayor’s task force to support ongoing efforts to build market opportunities outside the U.S.
Standing Up to a Bully
Trump announced on March 6 he was applying another pause to Canadian exports that he considers to be “compliant” with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. This pause applies to some Canadian goods until April 2.
However, none of this is slowing down Brown’s desire to see Brampton take a lead on a united municipal approach.
While noting, “there’s no monopoly on a good idea,” Brown said his city’s plan for a made-in-Canada procurement approach is catching on. In fact, Brown said he has already had correspondence with 20 cities about wanting to join in Brampton’s call.
“I remember being up in Ottawa with the prime minister and he said right now the more voices we can have at all levels of government saying that this is a reckless policy not just for the Canadian economy but the American economy, [the better],” Brown said. “If we amplify that voice in a united fashion, maybe sanity will prevail in the U.S. You can’t just roll over when a bully is being a bully.”
Taking an Early Stand
Brown was quick to acknowledge his Brampton colleague, Regional Coun. Rowena Santos, for being a key voice in shaping not only the city’s approach but also municipal officials from across Canada and the United States.
In January, Santos and Chris Leahy, a regional councillor from Whitby, launched From City to City. The campaign urged local leaders on both sides of the border to oppose Trump’s threats. The key to the plan was an advertising effort targeting high-profile U.S. government officials at Trump’s inauguration.
No stranger to trolling commentary online, Santos received pushback to her initiative. But quickly, the sentiment started to change when it became clear Trump wasn’t bluffing with his threats.
“The various mayors and cities on both sides of the border are really starting to meet now, to keep elevating the conversation,” Santos said. “It’s going to resonate with residents in the U.S. as well. When it starts hitting their pocketbooks – on gas prices, electricity prices, job losses from the alcohol industry – those are going to impact them sooner rather than later.”
Procurement as a Tool
Regardless of Trump’s latest tariff pause, Brown said the city’s procurement approach will continue. After all, Trump said at the time that tariffs on steel would still go forward, as would a tariff on dairy products. And there is certainly dairy and steel production in Brampton.
Brown said he believes a significant number of people don’t realize just how much of public procurement is done on a municipal level.
Yes, hospital procurement is done provincially. Defence procurement is done federally. But roads, bridges, community centers, and indeed the vast majority of public procurement in Canada, is done on a local level.
Estimates suggest, Brown said, that procurement values could be in the $30 to $40 billion range a year. That, he added, is “a powerful sword against these Trump tariffs.”
Santos agreed, pointing to procurement data from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Annually, FCM has amounted the impact to $4 billion every single year. Yes, there could be some products that municipalities can’t source elsewhere right now. But the reality is, she added, a counter tariff will also increase the prices of those goods.
“There is a big incentive for municipalities to expand their procurement elsewhere … to look at other markets with other allies not necessarily in the United States,” Santos said. “This alliance is specifically on defending our local economies. It’s very specific because if a plant shuts down or slows down in a city or town, regardless of what side of the border, the local economy is going to feel it the most.”
New Friends, New Deals
Brown’s task force aims to strengthen relationships with U.S. municipalities and businesses, work directly with U.S. companies in Brampton, and identify new opportunities for local businesses.
He said the most significant benefit of that work will come from diversifying trade relationships and reducing reliance on the U.S.
Brown said Canada has relied too much on the U.S. for exports due to geography and the existing free trade agreement. He hopes the task force will explore global markets. As an example, he highlighted recent interest from Saudi Arabia in Brampton’s dairy and steel products as a key opportunity.
“If you snooze, you lose. And if the U.S. wants to take these great Brampton – great Canadian – products for granted, we’re going to find other destinations that are willing to pay the same price for them,” Brown said. “[The U.S.] aren’t going to put us through this roller coaster of economic warfare.”
Team Canada Approach
The focus, Brown and Santos agree, is on finding new markets for Canadian goods. Now, those could be untapped international markets, but they could be Canadian ones as well.
Mark Carney, the newly chosen federal Liberal Party leader, has emphasized the importance of removing interprovincial trade barriers to create a more unified Canadian economy. It’s a move Brown also supports – and has since the early days of his political career.
But, Brown added, there’s a lot of encouragement around those barriers coming apart. Everyone’s singing the same tune, he said, adding there is a real willingness to say, “Shop Canadian.” And a unified message, Brown said, is key.
“This is not a time to tear down our country or point fingers,” Brown said. “Partisan divisions need to go on the wayside. When Canada is tested, we must come together.”
Santos agreed. But she also put the situation in a very Canadian context.
Like in the 4 Nations Face-Off where Canada beat the U.S., Santos said, the maple leaf comes first. She said this holds true regardless of what NHL jersey a player wears.
“Like that night where every single person watching that game was jumping for joy in that overtime goal when Team Canada scored, we come together as a country,” Santos said. “So regardless of what province, city, or town, you are in Canada, everyone is playing on Team Canada against this trade war.” MW
✯ Municipal World Executive and Essentials Plus Members: You might also be interested in Sheila Moore’s article: Psychological safety and internal communication.
Sean Meyer is digital content editor for Municipal World.
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