N.B. mayor goes to Washington, hears U.S. counterparts share tariff concerns

Rachel Cave · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 29, 2025 3:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The politician of Grand Bay-Westfield flew to Washington connected Thursday to conscionable with municipal leaders from the U.S. and Mexico to speech astir the communal antagonistic impacts of the U.S. commercialized war.

"There was a existent consciousness of solidarity successful the room," said Brittany Merrifield, who besides serves arsenic president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick.

Not knowing what to expect, Merrifield said she felt immoderate apprehension before attending what was described arsenic a affable gathering of neighbours.

"I knew that immoderate of the mayors were going to beryllium Republican truthful I didn't cognize what benignant of messaging they were going to travel with," she said. 

What transpired was two days of candid accounts from grassroots politicians who said their constituents are already feeling symptom from the tariffs and commercialized uncertainty brought connected by the Trump administration. 

Merrifield found it remarkable because she thought the U.S. mayors were risking governmental reprisals.  

"It was really rather courageous for them to beryllium there," said Merrifield. "I person immense respect for each of these mayors who came nether those conditions to bash what they consciousness is close for the radical they serve."

The delegates, including 8 from Mexico, arsenic good arsenic Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Rebecca Bligh — a Vancouver metropolis councillor and president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — presented a agreed beforehand astatine a quality league Friday. It opened with remarks from Andrew Ginther, the politician of Columbus, Ohio, and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

"The communicative is the aforesaid for each of us," said Ginther, aft informing that tariffs were expected to adhd $21,000 US to the median outgo of an American location during a lodging proviso crisis. 

"All of america are mayors, we are closest to the radical we represent," helium said. "We recognize that authorities and partisanship spell connected successful … Washington, but we conscionable attraction astir what's champion for our residents, our workers, our companies, the consumers successful our cities, and we're going to marque our dependable heard."

Daniel Rickenmann, politician of Columbia, S.C., said tariffs could person a $3-billion US impact connected commercialized successful his state. 

He said astir 1 successful 5 jobs successful South Carolina connects to the auto, aerospace and textile sectors, which are heavy babelike connected planetary trade. 

"It supports good northbound of 10,000 jobs conscionable successful our community," said Rickenmann.

He said metallic packaging shaper Sonoco, based successful South Carolina, was already feeling the interaction of Trump's enforcement bid to enforce tariffs of 25 per cent connected Canadian alloy and aluminum. 

The determination by immoderate provinces to propulsion American intoxicant from their shelves is besides hitting Kentucky distillery employees, helium said. 

 "That's causing large layoffs already," helium said.  

Anticipation of much tariffs

The mayors were speaking successful anticipation of much tariffs to come. 

Late Wednesday, Trump said he'd signed an enforcement bid that volition enforce a 25 per cent import tariff connected vehicles not made successful the U.S. Although the afloat implications of the tariff weren't instantly clear, helium said the levy volition footwear successful connected April 2.

"I cognize that President Trump cares astir Michigan," said Bryan Barnett, the politician of Rochester Hills, Mich. 

"I request to relay to the Trump medication however important these decisions are to the car manufacture and to the authorities that supported him."

Andy Schor, politician of Lansing, Mich., which is location of 2 General Motors car assembly plants, said tariffs volition wounded the moving class. 

"We marque connected mean $48,000 US per year," said Schor. "If cars spell up anyplace adjacent to $10,000, you're going to person radical that cannot spend to bargain cars."

Schor besides noted that mayors from some sides of the governmental disagreement were agreed successful their concerns. 

"To spot a mayor, Bryan Barnett of Michigan, leaning Republican, and Andy Schor of Michigan leaning Democrat … each of america coming together, on with our caller friends, I deliberation this is thing that radical are going to basal up and instrumentality announcement of," said Schor gesturing archetypal to Barnett, past to himself, past to the different mayors successful the room.