Border city mayor says Canada-U.S. relationship is 'deteriorating' under Trump's tariff threats

The mayor of a Canadian border city says the prime minister and premiers should speak to communities like his about frustration with the United States that is bubbling up over president-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and comments about absorbing Canada.

"[The relationship] is deteriorating and people are saying they're not going to cross the border," said Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, Ont., which has a border crossing with Port Huron, Mich.

"I'm hearing it on a constant basis: 'We don't want to do that anymore because we're being disrespected."

On Tuesday, Trump told a news conference he's looking to use "economic force" to "get rid" of the border between the two countries. His threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods still looms large — and Ottawa is looking at options to retaliate.

Bradley described Trump's comments as "vexatious drivel" but said the Republican Party's control of the House of Representatives and the Senate gives the president-elect extra sway.

"This time it's different. He is empowered," Bradley said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live. "He has his followers all in positions of power."

The Sarnia mayor said he expects the tariffs to happen, which he said would affect his community.

According to new data from Statistics Canada, 15.4 per cent of jobs in the Windsor-Sarnia economic region are at risk amid Trump's tariff threats.

"Yes, there will be collateral damage in the United States," Bradley told host Rosemary Barton, but he argued Trump will blame other factors if his proposed tariffs affect Americans.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with provincial and territorial premiers in Ottawa to discuss Canada-U.S. relations. 

Bradley said those politicians should be speaking to border community mayors like him who are "on the front line. Talk to us. We understand the complexity of the relationship and know the American and Canadian people have always got along," he said.

"We need to get our game better and we need to stop the partisan politics and focus on what's best for Canadians…. What is happening in Ottawa, for all different reasons, is creating a lot of uncertainty for us trying to strategize how to deal with the Americans."

In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada has a plan that includes engaging with American officials on their concerns about the Canada-U.S. border and military spending.

"At the same time, we're working on a retaliation plan," Joly said. She declined to provide details but said "everything is on the table."