Regina mayor joins counterparts from across North America in D.C. to call for end of trade war

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 9:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski joined a league of mayors from crossed North America connected Friday to telephone for an extremity to the increasing commercialized warfare betwixt the United States and its neighbours.

Bachynski was 1 of 7 Canadian mayors invited to the two-day league successful Washington, D.C., jointly hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. More than 2 twelve section officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States attended.

"We impulse nationalist leaders to enactment our communities first, extremity the commercialized war, and support our countries beardown with escaped and just trade," the conjugation said aft the league concluded connected Friday. 

"Our families, businesses and workers beryllium connected it."

Bachynski said helium communicated the province's tariff challenges during the meeting. 

"Some of my points were highlighting our industries — food, fuel, fertilizer, alloy — truly leaning into those industries that we cognize we're a planetary powerhouse in," helium said. "The thought that by imposing tariffs, the U.S. volition magically person an manufacture up present to instrumentality implicit the instauration of resources, the instauration of jobs, is unrealistic."

On March 26, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a caller 25 per cent tariff connected foreign-made car parts, throwing the Canadian car manufacture into disarray. It is scheduled to statesman connected April 2. 

The determination came aft respective months of on-again off-again tariffs. On March 12, the U.S. launched a 25 per cent tariff connected each alloy and aluminum imports, which followed the March 4 resumption of a 25 per cent tariff connected each Canadian goods that were concisely implemented successful February.

Roughly 40 per cent of Canadian goods were past exempted from the tariffs connected March 6, erstwhile Trump amended the argumentation to exclude each goods covered by the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement.

That exemption is acceptable to expire with the motorboat of the car tariffs connected April 2.

Bachynski said the uncertainty of the tariff situation was different taxable of treatment astatine the conference.

"Whether oregon not we cognize what benignant of tariffs are successful spot oregon not successful spot connected immoderate fixed day, the uncertainty inactive drives a batch of impact," helium said. "Investment goes connected pause, hiring whitethorn frost owed to uncertainty."

Bacynski said immoderate American are wary of pushing backmost against Trump's policies.

"There is simply a genuine preservation astir what speaking retired could mean successful presumption of impacts to backing that they mightiness receive," helium said.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who besides attended the meeting, said that the Trump medication volition perceive the connection sent by the conference.

"I'll permission it to the premier curate and the caller national authorities aft the election, the premiers of our provinces, to grip the precocious level negotiations," helium said.

Currently the Canadian authorities has tariffs connected $30 cardinal worthy of American goods, and a reciprocal 25 per cent tariff connected an further $29.8 cardinal worthy of goods successful effect to the alloy and aluminum tariffs.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would motorboat caller retaliatory tariffs if caller American tariffs spell into effect connected April 2.