Canadian Embassy Suggests Mayors Get Involved in Push to Soften Buy American Policy

(The Canadian Press)

Mayors from coast to coast are being asked to wade into an anti-Buy American fight and appeal directly to their U.S. counterparts after one northern Ontario mayor’s efforts attracted national attention.

Victor Fedeli, the mayor of North Bay, Ont., sent letters earlier this month to the mayors of three U.S. cities where North Bay made large purchases recently, imploring them to think about the effect on their community if Canada succumbed to protectionism.

The Canadian Embassy in the U.S. was copied on those letters and Fedeli said officials there contacted him to say having 100 Canadian mayors on board will help build American-based political support for his position.

Letters from Canadian mayors and positive responses in the U.S. will be “one more tool in the arsenal” for officials working to get the Americans to soften their stance, Fedeli said in an interview.

“I think so many mayors have done so much hard work in the last six months that they’re close and I’m really, truly now hoping that this letter-writing campaign will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and common sense will take over,” Fedeli said. “I was naive to think that my letter alone was going to achieve any real goals. It’s going to take the strength of numbers.” Read more here.