The councilors of the city of Vancouver have voted unanimously to align the city with a so -called ‘Canadian team’ approach that other levels of government are taking in response to the tariff threat of the United States.
A motion moved by the only councilor of the opposition in the Council, the Pete Fry of Green and subsequently supercharged by the mayor’s office was adopted throughout the Tuesday of the Council.
“We are completely united on this issue, and we are working together to be incredibly agile,” said Mayor Ken Sim.
“And really be prepared,” Fry added. “I think that is a large part of our answer … gathering to find solutions to support our local economy and support Canada.”
The motion was originally presented as a new urgent business by Fry last week, but was elevated to a special council meeting on Tuesday.
Fry’s original motion responded to a call from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking consumers to “choose Canada”, in response to the tariff threat of the United States, buying Canadian products and reducing the amount of products imported from the US .
On Monday, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all imports of aluminum and steel, including Canada.
And other tariffs in the United States remain a possibility after months of threats. Canada won a 30 -day relief from 25 percent rates in practically all its goods and 10 percent in Canadian oil.
Trump has said that tariffs are necessary to deal with what he sees as border security problems around fentanyl and illegal immigration.
Look | Katie Derosa ‘of CBC News explains BC’s Trump tariff pain:
Donald Trump’s tariffs return after an executive order from the president of the United States. As Katie Derosa reports, the steel and aluminum industries are struggling to respond to the planned Trump tax in all imports of steel and aluminum.
The mayor of Vancouver, Ken Sim, in concert with Fry during the last week, greatly expanded the motion of drawing a path that would reinforce Vancouver’s economy to resist the uncertainty that could be a distinctive seal of the four -year period of President Trump.
“Now there is a lot of fear and we are all working together to make sure that this place is a little better for everyone,” Sim said.
The ideas of the council are preliminary and will require that the personnel investigate and report on them, but include:
- Establish an internal round table to facilitate the rapid response to tariffs.
- Possible temporary rates reductions for patio permits and special permits for events.
- Possible postponement of property taxes for commercial and/or industrial light properties.
- Exploring the so -called divided commercial licenses so that companies offer more services without multiple licenses.
The motion also requires the creation of a working group of a mayor, “with a mandate to examine new roads to make Vancouver the most competitive city for business in North America, including an aspirational objective of achieving an annual growth of the three percent in GDP “.
The objective comes from the Greater Vancouver Commerce Board, which said that its three percent challenge for local governments is intended to guarantee financial security and the improvement of affordability.
“The best thing you can do is act within its powers to make it easier to establish and manage a business,” said CEO Bridgitte Anderson in a statement.
“By accelerating permission, reducing bureaucracy, controlling costs, taxes and rates and continuing to support public safety, we will see significant benefits for our community.”
Look | CBC News explains the commercial relationship of BC and the United States:
Although American tariffs have been suspended for 30 days, concerns remain on trade between Canada and the United States. Although trade between BC and foreign markets has grown over the years, as Jon Hernández de CBC explains, the United States remains a critical partner for the provincial economy.
Tamara Krawchenko, an associated professor in Public Administration at the University of Victoria and president of the School’s Local Governance Center, said that Vancouver has been a leader in acquisition policies in the past and the motion on Tuesday could inspire other local governments.
“I think BC could be quite progressive when thinking about sustainability and local supply chains in the acquisition at the local level,” he said. “And I don’t know that this is really true in all Canada.”
Other BC local governments are making plans to “buy Canada” or already have them in their place in relation to acquisitions and services.
On February 3, the councilors of Delta approved a motion for the staff to write to BC Prime Minister David Eby to ask the province “, amend all applicable legislation to allow cities to accept only Canadian companies in the offers in the offers of acquisitions.
The next day, on February 4, the mayor of Burnaby, Mike Hurley, published a motion notice that asked for a local buy and buy Canadian “, of all residents and a similar approach will be implemented for the acquisition of the city, “Where it is feasible and according to the trade. agreements and principles of best value. “
Do you already buy Canadian?
An email of the city staff of Vancouver said in 2024 that the city did direct business with 224 US suppliers with a value of $ 6.1 million CDN dollars. From 2009 to the present, the city has done business with 32,000 suppliers, with the vast majority, 91 percent, of them Canadians.
The eight percent of the suppliers, 2,451, were from the United States, while one percent, 189 were from other countries.
In a report that goes to the councilors in New Westminster on Tuesday, the staff said that the 2,788 vendors that the city has or currently USA, 2,699, or 97 percent, are Canadian suppliers.
“The practices of the city around the acquisition of goods and/or services have always been for the alternatives of Canadian origin before obtaining products made abroad,” the report said.
