A Vancouver city councillor is proposing an urgent motion to get the city on board with “Team Canada” efforts to buy Canadian in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Green Coun. Pete Fry is calling on council to initiate an “urgent high-level review” of capital projects, suppliers, procurement and trade agreement exposure, along with opportunities to buy Canadian to blunt the economic effects of U.S. tariffs.
“Trump’s tariffs pose a grave threat to our national economy,” Fry wrote on social media.
“I’m proposing an urgent motion for Vancouver City Council to consider at meeting Tuesday to support Team Canada/Buy Local. As a Council, City and as Canadians I’m confident we will come together.”
The motion would also direct Vancouver’s business and economy office to start working with local businesses and business groups to kick off a targeted “buy local” campaign.
Trump has vowed to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods effective Tuesday, citing a shifting constellation of complaints including drugs and migrants at the border, trade deficits, interest in Canadian banking and a desire to annex Canada through “economic force.”
The federal government has responded with retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars worth of U.S. goods. The B.C. government has moved to pull red state liquor from BC Liquor Store shelves and directed government agencies to shift procurement to Canadian products while B.C. companies have begun diverting critical minerals to non-U.S. markets.
Both the province and Ottawa have also begun promoting “buy Canadian” campaigns urging people to shop locally and support Canadian businesses.