NORTHEAST TOWN—On Tuesday, March 4, the Mayor and Council for the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands passed the following motion as a direct response to the unwarranted actions of the President of the United States which will result in increased costs and create undeserved hardship for many Canadian residents.
The motion reads as follows: “That Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands supports the federal and provincial call to action “Canadian business first” policy in its procurement of capital and infrastructure programs by purchasing Canadian made goods when possible and restricting its purchases of US goods; and that The Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands promotes the policy of “Buy Canadian” to encourage the purchase of Canadian goods and services by its businesses and residents; and that the Council for Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands encourages the other municipalities and levels of government to limit the purchase of goods produced in the United States until such time as the tariffs are removed.”
Mayor Al MacNevin supported the motion and made it clear that this motion is a response to an action by Donald Trump and does not reflect negative feelings towards the American people. “We value our long-standing relationships with the American people as our friends and neighbours and trust that they will understand that our decision was not made in anger but rather as a well thought out response to the actions taken against us,” he said.
He went on to say that this is a temporary measure that will be reversed when the Trump tariffs are eliminated “and we reestablish the relationship that we had for years as trusted trade partners.”
Also read our editorial, “Counter tariffs may be popular, but are they the right route?”