As Donald Trump’s trade war heats up, two Ontario councillors are rallying mayors on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border to step in as unlikely peace brokers. Brampton’s Rowena Santos and Whitby’s Chris Leahy say city halls—not just federal bigwigs—can douse the tariff flames threatening jobs and wallets.
“Mayors in Canada and the U.S. need to sync up and push back against this trade chaos,” Santos declared in a joint March 5 statement with Leahy. “Let’s take it city-to-city—Canadian mayors should huddle with their American counterparts, fast, and stand united against this economic mess,” Leahy added. Their pitch? Mayors as “peacekeepers,” calming the storm and forging a lasting cross-border pact.
The idea’s gaining traction. Last week, Canada’s Big City Mayors and Ontario’s municipal heavyweights stormed Washington, pressing U.S. lawmakers to nix Trump’s tariff threats. Stateside, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) fired back with an emergency resolution, warning tariffs would “hammer American businesses and shoppers.” Columbus, Ohio Mayor Andrew Ginther, USCM president, doubled down: “Our cities thrive on trade with Canada and Mexico—let’s keep it that way.”
Santos and Leahy see the U.S. mayors’ stance as a handshake waiting to happen. “Canadian mayors should grab this chance to team up and stop this tariff madness,” they urged. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, fresh from the D.C. trip, is all in. “It’s a rare sight—American and Canadian mayors, including Trump-backing Republicans, saying ‘no’ to this policy. We’re begging those in Trump’s circle to speak out,” Brown told the Brampton Guardian.
He’s already plotting deeper ties. “I’ve chatted with U.S. mayors, and so has Coun. Santos. We’re cranking up the dialogue to shield our communities’ jobs. This could be a new era of collaboration,” Brown said. With coalitions aligning against a prolonged trade fight, the mayors might just be the cool heads Trump didn’t see coming.