An organization representing 13 counties and municipalities located between Ottawa and Toronto is requesting the collaboration of the New York State Association of Counties in a context where the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, is threatening to impose tariffs of 25% on Canadian products.
The Eastern Ontario Reeve Caucus Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus) released a letter Friday, in English, to the New York State Association of Counties, requesting a meeting and discussion on how we can work together to improve our communities
.
The American association claims to have common interests
with the counties of Eastern Ontario and responds by email to - having accepted the invitation for this cross-border dialogue
.
Reopen the north-south dialogue
Halfway between Montreal and Ottawa, the Town of Hawkesbury has a lot of products circulating in different states
underlines its mayor, Robert Lefebvre.
It is important to protect exports and the employees who will be affected
in his region, he adds.
For him, the initial solution to possible customs tariffs imposed on Canadian products should not be a response where Canada would equalize
these. We don’t want to start with that
says Mr. Lefebvre.
This is why he thanks the current president of the Eastern Ontario Reeve Caucus, Bonnie Clarkwho sent the letter. According to him, it will allow the reopening of dialogue between the south and the north of the border.
In eastern Ontario, a group of municipalities are requesting a meeting with their colleagues from the counties of New York State to strengthen their economic collaboration, facing the threat of customs tariffs. The report by Anne-Louise Michel.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Darryl Dyck
-The president of the Prescott-Russell Chamber of Commerce, Mark Kelly, welcomes the prefects’ initiative. It’s important that the United States knows that we are all here to work together. And from there, we will wait for Mr. Trump and what he will deliver to us in terms of tariffs and if he will deliver to us any tariffs
he said.
We are so close to the counties on the other side of the border, it will affect our businesses on both sides
says Mark Kelly. He also says that it is difficult to predict what the repercussions could be on the local economy of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell if the United States moves forward with the imposition of 25% tariffs on imports. of Canada.
An example to follow
Joining the neighboring business community is a form of pressure that can certainly help advance the interests of Canadians according to professor at the school of political studies at the University of Ottawa, Charles-Étienne Beaudry. This is an example to follow
he judges.
All initiatives in Canada of collaboration, influence, reaching out to our American partners, are excellent
according to him.
More the game will be played out in the links that we will be able to make with the members of the House of Representatives from the border districts with Canada
explains the professor.
This would, according to him, be the key
which would convince the American government to back down on its threats to impose customs tariffs, because it is the Congress or the Senate which has the power to put the brakes on them, he said.
According to him, it would therefore be necessary to launch a blitz d’initiatives
such as these targeting politicians and businesses on their territory, which have lobbying power.
With information from Anne-Louise Michel, Olivier Daoust and Emmanuelle Poisson
