1 day Ago By Scott Strasser
In an attempt to mitigate the effect of U.S. tariffs, Calgary will explore the concept of regional business licensing, a local procurement strategy and a campaign to promote domestic tourism, among other tactics.
On the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump’s promised tariffs taking effect on Canadian goods, the mayor’s tariff advisory group met for a third time Tuesday to discuss how to lessen the effects of a potentially prolonged trade war between Canada and its southern neighbour.
Trump’s month-long pause on sweeping tariffs is set to expire Wednesday , meaning 25 per cent duties are to be imposed on all Canadian exports to the U.S. (with a smaller 10 per cent hit on energy products).
In response, Canada will introduce retaliatory duties on American goods sent north. Some of the ideas the advisory group has discussed, according to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, include developing an online database of resources to promote alternative sources of tariff-affected goods, and encourage the use of apps such as Maple Scan, O Scanada and Buy Beaver to support Canadian businesses. “We’ve now gone through a round of actually experiencing the tariffs, and the folks around the tariff advisory working group are still saying the same thing: it’s important to remain calm and think of solutions,” Gondek said at a news conference Tuesday.
“Reacting and being negative about what’s going to happen isn’t going to help us, so everyone’s trying to find solutions.” The advisory group, which formed in February with the goal of cutting red tape and removing financial barriers for businesses in the face of tariffs, includes representatives from the city, Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Calgary Economic Development. “I would say everyone is very committed to finding a solution that is actionable, practical and can be implemented to help offset some of the uncertainty and impact of what we’re facing,” said Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and a member of the advisory group.
“We’ve been clear about how we get information out to Calgarians and what does that look like. It’s a very collaborative, solution-oriented group that is looking for ways to mitigate or offset whatever is coming at us — and has sticking power. It can’t just be for now.
It should be something we continue to do regardless if it happens.”.
