The City of Calgary as an entity says it’s prepared if the U.S. were to go ahead with imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports.
City council on Tuesday voted in favour of implementing a list of six recommendations with city administration telling council that about 95 per cent of the city’s contracts are with Canadian and non-American suppliers, while only five per cent are with U.S. suppliers.
The approved recommendations include monthly updates starting in April to council’s executive committee on tariffs and supply chain issues, reviewing ways to better improve the city’s procurement efforts to buy more local, and advocating to other levels of government to remove interprovincial trade barriers.
“We are in a good position,” says Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “We are committed to protecting our region, particularly key sectors like energy, agriculture, manufacturing and small business.”
The mayor is calling council’s vote a “significant” step in protecting Calgary businesses from tariffs, but some business owners say it’s really unclear what the city can do.
Robin Furlong, the owner of Furlong Steel Industries, is among those skeptical the city could have that much sway in protecting businesses from tariffs.
He says he’s more concerned about Canada being involved in a trade war with the U.S. if our country decides to launch counter-tariffs, since those costs would be passed down.
“Thirty per cent of my market comes from the U.S.,” he says. “When they say buy from a different supply chain we go to the ports and overseas, which creates immediate demands which spikes pricing.”
Coun. Sonya Sharp agrees there’s only so much the city can do.
“We are one city in Canada, we are also a city within a province, we need to be working with our provincial government,” Sharp says. “What is the premier doing to fight tariffs? What is the federal government doing?”
U.S. President Donald Trump has said his 25 per cent tariff plan on Canadian imports will go ahead on March 4 and currently covers items like lumber, oil and gas, agriculture products, dairy, liquor, and more.