Manitoba’s trade minister is encouraging residents to shop local following the United States’ latest round of tariffs on Canadian goods.
“(The province) has taken a very proactive approach about buying Canadian and buying Manitoban, so I’ll encourage Manitobans to do the same,” said Jamie Moses, minister of business, mining, trade and job creation, at a news conference on Monday.
“When you’re out at the grocery store or wherever you are in Manitoba. If you’re a business and you’re trying to supply your next products or items — look and buy Manitoban.”
Moses’ comments come just days after negotiations between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump broke down and 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $28 billion of Canadian goods came into effect.
To alleviate the impacts of the trade war, the minister said the province is looking at shifting its contracts to Canadian-made products. He added the province will also advocate for Manitoba’s interests at a meeting with the U.S. Trade Council on Monday.
“I think the premier put it well that you can’t tariff unity,” Moses said.
“Manitoba businesses, our nation is unified around this approach that we need to stand up and make sure that we understand who we are as a country and who we are as a business sector and workers.”
Moses recognized that certain industries, including honey, will be hit especially hard by the tariffs. He said he believes this was specifically designed by the U.S. administration to create a divide among Canadians.
“We’ve got to understand that they are attacking our entire country,” he said. “We can’t stand for it.”
