Councillor’s motion would prioritize Canadian suppliers and products

February 20, 2025 · 0 Comments

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon may soon look to prioritize Canadian suppliers and products even more than it already does.

At Caledon Council’s February 4 meeting, Regional Councillor Christina Early put forward a motion asking that Town staff be directed “to review the Town of Caledon’s procurement policies and procedures to ensure that priority is given to Canadian suppliers and products, where feasible and compliant with trade agreements, and report back with recommendations for Council’s consideration at our next meeting.”

Early said her motion was prudent in light of “what our neighbours across the border are doing.”

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada (a lower 10 per cent tariff was proposed for Canadian energy). These threats have since been put on hold.

In discussion on Early’s motion, Caledon’s Chief Financial Officer Robert Cummings shared that U.S. expenditures are already quite low for Caledon.

“Probably 98 per cent of our expenditures are Canadian dollars at this point in time,” said Cummings.

In her motion, Early said Caledon is committed to supporting Canadian businesses and strengthening the Canadian economy. She said supporting the motion would mean Caledon is doing its bit in light of tariff threats.

“Municipalities have a role to play in supporting economic resilience by prioritizing procurement practices that favour Canadian suppliers and products wherever possible,” reads Early’s motion.

Mayor Annette Groves said that Town staff are already working on addressing how tariffs would impact Caledon and are preparing to bring that information to Council. She suggested referring Early’s motion to staff so they can have some input on it, and councillors were amenable to this idea.

Early’s motion is set to come back to Council at its March 4 meeting.