Winnipeg’s mayor says he was given a warm welcome from his American counterparts — despite the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries — at a meeting with the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Phoenix.
Scott Gillingham told 680 CJOB that the conference gave him good insight into how the current tensions are affecting municipal leaders down south, as well as how they truly feel about their northern neighbours.
“One of the mayors from California came up to me and said, ‘I just want you to know we do not want you to be the 51st state. We respect Canada’s sovereignty,” Gillingham said.
“That was the response I got from all of the mayors — Democratic or Republican mayors. Every mayor in the U.S. that I spoke to understands what mayors in Canada understand: tariffs will hurt cities.”
Gillingham said the municipal government is looking to make its own impact in the ongoing push to buy Canadian, with city staff looking into which products Winnipeg buys from the States for city services, so they can try to make a switch.
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He said the city is working closely with the provincial government and following their lead on how to best move forward despite the uncertainty.
“We’re watching what the province does as far as their procurement rules,” Gillingham said.
“As to whether or not the province is going to make changes and ban — perhaps, I don’t know — U.S. companies from bidding on projects in Manitoba and Winnipeg.
“So we’ll follow the province’s procurement lead very closely.”
The mayor said the city is also looking into which industries could be most impacted by tariffs, such as agriculture and aerospace, and steps are being taken behind the scenes as well to determine how to best deal with the potential effects of the trade war.
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