As the Trump administration repeatedly threatens steep tariffs on Canadian goods, the Border Mayors Alliance is holding weekly meetings to advocate for a resolution to the escalating trade war with the U.S.
Made up of 35 Canadian border cities, the Border Mayors Alliance is an ad hoc organization that came together earlier this year to advocate for solutions that will safeguard border communities across the country.
A big part of that effort, said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker, is connecting with U.S. mayors on the other side of the border and communicating that “we are more fond of the way things were when were allies of one another and trading partners, without the wildly unpredictable tariff news that we’ve seen,” he told SooToday.
The alliance also connects with other elected officials and residents in the U.S. to advocate for the former state of affairs – when both nations were close free trade partners.
While Premier Doug Ford has been making appearances on a variety of national American news outlets, Shoemaker said he also sees a role for the Border Mayors to advocate for resolution in regional and local media outlets.
“I do think that there will be efforts to do outreach to American regional and local media services to express, from a municipal to municipal perspective, there's a want to get things back to normal, a want to get things back to how they have been for many years, because it's mutually beneficial to both communities,” he said.
“In a place like the twin Saults, you're talking about a lot of Canadians no longer going across because of the friction that has been caused by an administration in Washington.”
As tariff threats continue, Shoemaker said some American mayors – even Republicans – are speaking out against the restrictions, such as the mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, whose city “relies heavily on the auto industry and the back and forth flow of products from Canada to Michigan, back into Canada, back into Michigan,” he said.
“The mayor of Columbus, Ohio is another mayor who has been an outspoken critic of the tariffs, saying that it doesn't make economic sense for them, for the U.S. to go after one of their closest allies,” he said.
While none of their American counterparts are part of the Border Mayors Alliance, Shoemaker said the group is looking for American allies impacted by the tariff threats to help make their case with the U.S. government.
With President Trump’s continued tariff threats and talk of making Canada the ‘51st state’, the Border Mayors Alliance meetings are “becoming more critical,” he said, as its members inform one another of how they’re managing tariff threats in their communities.
“Obviously, it's an anxiety riddled time, but understanding that – I think there is a mutual belief and acceptance that we are going to get through this,” he said. “It's going to take time, but we will get through this – that seems to be the consensus around the table.”
Shoemaker has also been speaking about the situation with MP Terry Sheehan, MPP Chris Scott, and local industries.
“I'm pressing them to make sure that there's support for employees, there's support for businesses, and I'm going to keep making that case so that they can bring it back to their caucuses and their cabinets to tell them what they're hearing on the ground.”