The Fraser Valley Regional District is readying a ‘Team Canada’ response to tariffs.
Electoral Area E director Patti MacAhonic brought forward a motion to support local businesses in a “Buy Canadian” strategy at the March 13 Regional and Corporate Services Committee meeting.
“I think it's important that we show leadership and I think our residents are looking to us in these times,” MacAhonic said.
Directors unanimously voted for the FVRD to support Canadian businesses in a buy-Canadian strategy where possible.
Mission Mayor Paul Horn, who serves on the FVRD board of directors, advised proceeding with caution. He said local governments have been encouraged by UBCM to get legal advice as they approach tariff responses.
“Many municipalities in [a UBCM-sponsored call] spoke of the difficulty in acquiring fire safety equipment and other equipment and the need for us to make sure we don't slow that work,” he said at the FVRD meeting.
Horn supported the intention of the motion and “the need to make a public and supportive statement of a Canada-first strategy in response to what appears to be a destabilizing move by the American government.”
He also advocated for identifying Canadian sellers.
“It can be difficult to determine what a truly Canadian supplier looks like because in some cases, they're a subsidiary of an American company or they're processing materials that have come from the Americans. And so we've asked the British Columbia government to see if they can help us assemble a list,” Horn said.
FVRD staff said department managers have been directed to monitor their budgets and the impact of tariffs.
“My expectation would be .. if we start to see some of those kinds of cost pressures, you're going to hear about it,” staff said.
According to staff, the motion doesn't ask to change practices or do a particular analysis on how much the FVRD is procuring from the U.S. However, preliminary analysis estimated that less than one per cent of the FVRD's procurement comes from the U.S.
