Dear Mississauga Residents and Businesses,
We are living in an unprecedented moment. With U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods officially taking effect at 12:01 a.m. today, both our economy and our community face significant challenges. These tariffs come at a time of historic economic uncertainty – the highest since 1985 – and threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border. These reckless tariffs imposed by the U.S will cause great hardship on both the American and Canadian people.
Mississauga, a hub for manufacturing and trade, is not immune to these impacts, and many of our residents and businesses will be affected. Our city’s manufacturing sector, which supports thousands of jobs, is particularly vulnerable. Initial projections show a 2-3% increase in the unemployment rate representing an estimated loss of 600,000 jobs, with ripple effects deeply felt in municipalities like ours.
In response to this uncertainty, we are taking decisive action as a city. Through our Partners in Trade Response Plan, we are doing everything in our power to support Mississauga’s businesses, protect jobs, and stabilize our local economy.
A key immediate measure is addressing how the City procures goods and services. Last year, Mississauga spent over $730 million on procurements, and these tariffs will significantly increase costs. Tomorrow, we will pass amendments to our Procurement By-law, which will allow us to prioritize Canadian and non-U.S. suppliers when possible, especially for medium and high-value projects and streamline the process to support more local, diverse, and smaller businesses.
This is just one part of the Partners in Trade Response Plan, which also focuses on advocating with provincial and federal governments to secure support for impacted businesses and the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers. We will also be engaging with local businesses to understand their needs and provide access to provincial, federal and international resources for navigating tariff disruptions. Additionally, we will support businesses in diversifying into new markets beyond the U.S., while strengthening international trade partnerships and investment attraction efforts in high-potential markets like Japan and Germany.
These are very uncertain and difficult times, and I know many of you are very feeling anxious about what lies ahead. But Mississauga has always been a resilient city, and together, we will overcome these challenges. These tariffs are beyond our control, but our response is not. Our focus remains on supporting Mississauga businesses and residents with concrete actions, while urging our federal government to continue diplomatic efforts toward resolution. The City also strongly supports the swift retaliatory response announced by the Government of Canada and incoming federal EI and business social supports.
Lastly, I encourage all residents to join our efforts by supporting Canadian-made products through our City’s Choose Canada Campaign, launched last month. Visit our Choose Canada website to learn more about how you can help our local businesses and contribute to our collective strength. Canadians have stepped up greatly in the last few weeks and we must continue to do our part as individuals.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Parrish, Mayor of Mississauga
Leave a Reply