Michael Taube
Apr 1, 2025

The Canada-U.S. tariff war is intensifying, and the political fallout is spreading quickly. From Donald Trump to Mark Carney, major figures on both sides of the border are weighing in and some, like Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, are diving in headfirst with little sense and even less impact.

Chow’s self-styled campaign against Trump’s tariffs has been awkward, ineffective and largely ignored. She’s inserted herself into the fray for reasons known only to her and understood by virtually no one else.

“It’s only fitting Mayor Olivia Chow chose Fire Station 334 to announce Toronto’s economy,” Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington wrote on March 17, since it “could soon be set ablaze as a result of her retaliation to President Donald Trump’s tariff war.” As Warmington nicely put it, “just to be sure it becomes an economic inferno, she threw extra accelerant on the already hot coals.”

What did the Toronto mayor say at this press conference?

“Only Canadian companies can bid on construction work that is worth under $8.8 million, and goods and services under $353,000,” she said. “U.S.-based suppliers will no longer be able to bid on city contracts.”

The accompanying news release noted that “American-based suppliers may be deemed ineligible to bid on new competitive contracts when it is in the city’s best interest.” There will also be “increased supplier outreach programs to find local alternatives for key goods, such as construction materials, technology, municipal water equipment and paramedic supplies.” The City of Toronto would also oversee the “expansion of procurement opportunities for Indigenous, Black and diverse suppliers to increase participation under the city’s Social Procurement Policy.”

What did the last part really have to do with Chow’s response to the tariff threat? Very little, other than appealing to her small, radical far-left support base.

Chow has received minimal coverage on U.S. networks for her outlandish positions. “We’re hurting each other, so I think just stop this nonsense,” Chow said on CNN. “Why do you want to hurt your biggest customers that are giving you all this money every year buying American goods?” The Toronto mayor also turned up on MSNBC and told host Joe Scarborough, “Now the angry phase is coming. We’re not going to buy any American goods anymore. It’s going to hurt both sides, but we have to defend ourselves.”

To suggest that Chow’s announcement was reckless would be an understatement. Toronto has been North America’s fourth-largest city since 2013. A June 12, 2020, news release noted it was the “second-largest financial centre and the third-largest tech sector in North America.” These are all impressive accomplishments, but they’re fleeting. If Toronto’s economic fortunes were to change, the population would start going down, job opportunities would decline, the financial hub would grow increasingly silent and the tech sector would soon become a distant memory.

That’s why U.S. companies won’t shudder in fear at Chow’s ill-advised decision. They’ll simply take their business to other cities and leave her city in financial darkness. It won’t take very long for this to become a reality, either.

It’s also worth noting that Chow made this statement during her press conference at Fire Station 334. “People are feeling anxious about a senseless and harmful U.S. trade war,” she said, and “they are worried about their jobs and the rising cost of living.” That’s rather fascinating since the loss of American companies, jobs and revenue from her decision will hurt Toronto’s economy and amplify the anxieties of residents even more. Isn’t that what she was trying to avoid?

When you put it all together, Chow’s announcement to support Canadian construction companies and box out U.S. suppliers is just plain dumb. It will wreck future opportunities for American investment in the city with respect to construction projects and the like. It will also cause short-term and long-term political and economic damage in Toronto. Those are two of Chow’s specialties in politics, as it happens.

Is Chow trying to start her own trade war with Trump? It certainly feels like it.

Will Trump care about Chow’s threats? Don’t count on it.

Could this be another nail in the coffin of Chow’s mediocre mayoralty? That’s a strong possibility, and Trump’s tariff threat will have played a key role in it.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.

This commentary (or article) was supplied by Troy Media.