Surrey leaders back Ottawa after Canada-U.S. trade talks collapse

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and the Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade are backing the federal government’s decision to suspend trade negotiations with the United States rather than accept what local leaders described as an unfair agreement.

Canada-U.S. talks broke down late Aug. 21. At an Aug. 22 news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney said last-minute U.S. changes were unfair, uneconomic and raised doubts about the reliability of any agreement. He said he halted the talks and recalled Canadian negotiators to Ottawa.

Carney said the United States intended to impose a 50 per cent tariff on roughly $28 billion in Canadian goods as of midnight Aug. 22. Canada would respond with matching tariffs, set to take effect Sept. 8, he said. He acknowledged the measures would raise costs and reduce choices for Canadians, while also affecting U.S. companies and states that did not seek the dispute.

Locke said Canada should not accept an agreement that would harm its economy or weaken its independence because of a deadline or tariff threat. She said Surrey supports the federal response and its stated aim of protecting Canadian jobs and industries.

Joslyn Young, CEO of the Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade, said a deal reached at any cost would not be a good one. She urged businesses to diversify supply chains and customer bases, including by developing domestic and other markets, while governments work to remove barriers to trade across provincial borders.

At a separate Aug. 22 news conference in Vancouver, Premier David Eby said no deal was better than a bad deal. He said the failed talks showed what the United States was seeking in its relationship with Canada and questioned whether an agreement with the current U.S. administration could be relied upon to last.