Ontario government criticizes Joe Biden’s ‘Buy American’ plan

By Lucas Casaletto

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says after four years of an American administration that was unpredictable and extremely protectionist, he is confident Canada can safely navigate the perils of Joe Biden’s “Buy American” plan.

But the Ford government isn’t so sure.

Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli says they’re not happy with the decision.

“The Ontario government is disappointed that the U.S. Administration has chosen to move ahead with a new Executive Order on Buy American which would restrict access to the U.S. government procurement. We are concerned with what these measures could mean for Ontario workers, families, and businesses who rely on the U.S.-Ontario trading relationship,” Fedeli said.

“This is a critically important trading relationship that supports millions of jobs on both sides of the border and is worth approximately $400 billion CAD annually. If Ontario were a country, we would be the United States’ third-largest trading partner. Ensuring strong trade ties is vital to the businesses and communities these trade relationships support, particularly as our economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Trudeau expressed concern about Biden’s “Buy American plan” on his first phone call with the new president on Friday.

Asked whether he would seek exemptions to the “Buy American” program, Trudeau told reporters: “We will continue to be effective in advocating for Canada’s interests with this new administration.”

Fedeli doubled down, saying Ontario’s government wants “to ensure Canada is exempt from any ‘Buy American’ provisions, and instead advocate for a ‘Buy North American’ approach.”

“We will continue to highlight the costs of ‘Buy American’ measures to businesses on both sides of the border and work tirelessly to ensure a stable and competitive business environment that creates jobs, opportunity, and growth,” he concluded.

Biden imposed rigorous new rules for U.S. government spending on Monday.

The executive order also changes rules so that more of a manufactured good’s components must originate from U.S. factories. American-made goods would also be protected by an increase in the government’s threshold and price preferences, the difference in price over which the government can buy a foreign product.

Trudeau has already expressed Canada’s “disappointment” with Biden’s decision to scrap the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office.

Biden signed 15 executive orders on his first day that reversed course on immigration, climate change, racial equity, and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.


With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

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