Oakville Council stands behind local businesses and supports response from federal and provincial governments to potential U.S. tariffs

Council unanimously approved a resolution at the February 24 meeting

Oakville Town Council has unanimously signalled support of the work of the governments of Canada and Ontario to counter proposed U.S. tariffs on goods and services by passing a resolution at the Monday, February 24, 2025, Council meeting.

Through the resolution, Council stands in solidarity with Oakville businesses that would be negatively impacted by proposed tariffs and commits to supporting the business community through advocacy.

In addition, Council has demonstrated formal support to the governments of Canada and Ontario in opposition to these proposed tariffs, to protect Canadian businesses through engaging in diplomacy, trade negotiations and other appropriate measures.

The resolution was moved by Ward 1 Town and Regional Councillor Sean O’Meara and seconded by Ward 7 Town Councillor Scott Xie. Read a copy in the February 24 Council meeting agenda.

Passing of this motion follows a Mayoral Direction to convene a cross-departmental Tariff Task Force to assess, develop, and report on legally- and financially-viable municipal responses to trade and procurement. The Task Force will also lead an internal review to identify applicable contracts and determine the feasibility of shifting procurement from U.S. companies without violating existing domestic or international trade agreements or compromising fiscal responsibility. Should tariffs be implemented, the Task Force will also engage with impacted local businesses to understand expected financial impacts and identify business needs, as well as available municipal, provincial and federal support measures and advocacy initiatives.

The town’s Economic Development department, in support of the Task Force, launched a Tariff Resources for Business support web page on invest.oakville.ca, as well as a Business Impact Survey on Tariffs to help the town better understand potential impacts from proposed tariffs on local businesses. The survey is open until Friday, March 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Quotes

“As your Mayor, I’m committed to protecting and supporting our local businesses. Council and I are committed to advocating for our Oakville business community, and we are glad to see Ontario and Canada cooperating to counter the negative effects of the Trump tariffs.”

– Mayor Rob Burton

“This resolution couldn’t be more timely. With strong negative impacts to the economy anticipated from proposed tariffs, not just in Oakville and Halton, but across Canada, this is an incredible opportunity for this Council to raise its hand and say we stand with what the provincial and federal governments are going to do and their efforts to support our businesses.”

– Ward 1 Town and Regional Councillor Sean O’Meara