As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to formally launch his economic offence against Canada through steep tariffs, leaders across all levels of Canadian government are fighting back, including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
Chow held a press conference late Monday morning to discuss the City’s strategy for dealing with the levies Trump is imposing on goods from the Great White North starting Tuesday, telling residents that what is most important now is “having each other’s back” and that “a team Canada approach is the only way forward.”
“Today, we stand together as Torontonians, as Canadians, facing a senseless trade action brought upon us by the U.S. government. It’s an anxious time for many in our city. Hard-working Torontonians are worried, wondering if their jobs will be affected. If the cost of food, already too high, will go up even more,” Chow said.
“The City of Toronto is ready to partner with other levels of government to protect jobs, stabilize our economy, and support our communities through the tough times ahead…. everything is on the table.”
She went on to introduce a four-prong approach consisting of the following:
- The creation of a new “Toronto Action Plan” focused on protecting Torontonians from economic harm.
- Establishing a new Mayor’s Economic Action Team, which is “made up of leaders from business and labour, to advise on strategies to protect the economy’s most vulnerable sectors, defend jobs and keep workers front and centre.”
- Building Shop Local and Buy Canadian initiatives to “help Torontonians come together, support local businesses and prioritize locally made products and services” and “put our locally-made products and services first.”
- Reinforcing that “Toronto is on Team Canada — Toronto will work in partnership with the federal and provincial governments to support jobs and workers and enhance our economic resilience.”
This is an anxious and unsettling time. People are concerned that this unnecessary trade war will impact their jobs and daily life. We need to take action to protect workers and promote economic resilience close to home.
The imposition of tariffs by the United States poses a…
— Mayor Olivia Chow (@MayorOliviaChow) February 3, 2025
The mayor added that there will be an immediate review of the municipal government’s existing and future contracts, as well as procurement policies, with American firms.
This is a move that was encouraged by Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier in the day after he announced that the Province would be canning its $100 million deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink, along with banning U.S. companies generally from any provincial contracts in light of the tariffs.
“I’m urging all 440 municipalities to do the same,” Ford said while outlining how serious the current threat is in Etobicoke North. “U.S.-based businesses will now lose out on tens of billions of new revenues… Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy.”
