City of Surrey forms border alliance amid U.S. tariff threat

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is among leaders across Canada who have formed the Border Mayors Alliance to try to fight the effects of threatened U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

U.S. President Trump has promised to place 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada. As a trucking-industry hub, Locke says her city will feel the immediate impact.

Locke spoke for the new alliance Thursday morning, where she said all industries in Surrey will feel the sting from these tariffs.

“We’re concerned for our truckers. But in terms of manufacturing, we have manufacturing in Surrey that is doing things from aerospace, all the way through to agriculture, and we have a lot of agriculture that is going to be disrupted by this,” Locke said in a press conference Thursday.

Locke was joined by Windsor, Ont. Mayor Drew Dilkens, who launched the alliance to advocate for the interests of communities along the Canada-U.S. border in the face of Trump’s tariff threat.

In a press release Thursday, Locke said as Surrey is the only city in Western Canada with two border crossings into the States, they face a unique risk.

“Over 20 per cent of Surrey businesses have direct trade ties with the United States, representing roughly $2.8 billion in cross-border commerce each year. If these tariffs go into effect, we could see hundreds of local jobs at risk, significantly impacting Surrey’s economy,” Locke said.

On Thursday, Trump said his 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming as soon as Saturday, Feb. 1, but he’s still considering whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes.

As part of the ‘Canada First’ approach, the mayors of the alliance are also calling on Canadians to buy more Canadian goods, rather than shopping across the border.

—With files from Cecilia Hua and Amy Beeman