WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley joined a coalition of 30 U.S. and Canadian mayors, called the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, calling on President Donald Trump to cancel his proposed 25 percent blanket tariffs on Canadian goods before they are set to take effect on April 2.

Trump has already pushed back the start date twice, in February and in March.

Ohio-Canada trade accounted for $39.7 billion in 2023, the last year for which data is available, according to the Department of Commerce. That includes $21.8 billion in goods exported to Canada and $17.9 billion imported to Ohio.

Following Trump’s announcement of blanket tariffs, Canada imposed counter-tariffs on $30 billion of American goods.

The escalating trade war could depress northeast Ohio’s economy.

“Blanket tariffs against our Canadian neighbors does not make for a good relationship,” Bradley said. “Our exporters may be losing business and may actually have to lay off employees, and our economy might suffer. We may also have inflation as a result of these blanket tariffs.”

The proposed tariffs could cost each U.S. household between $1,600 and $2,00 each year, according to the Yale Budget Lab.

“This trade war makes no sense. We are valued friends. We are allies. Don’t hurt us. There’s no reason to,” said Olivia Chow, mayor of Toronto, Canada.

Some Ohio Republicans, like Sen. Bernie Moreno, defended the tariffs as a way to rebuild Ohio’s manufacturing industry.

“It's all about the difference between wage growth and price growth,” said Moreno. “So for example, if prices are going up 2%, but your wages are going up 6%, you're doing better. Groceries may be more expensive, but your take-home pay is going up more than the price of the increase in groceries.”

Mayor Bradley also supports targeted tariffs to support specific industries hurt by international trade agreements, such as Ohio’s steel industry.

However, economists have argued that protecting one industry through tariffs raises production costs for other industries, making them less competitive with global businesses and ultimately leading to job losses.

For example, the U.S. auto industry supply chain is deeply interwoven between U.S. and Canadian parts suppliers. Blanket tariffs on Canadian goods would increase the price of some parts for the Ford Motor Company’s assembly plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, which employs 1,700 people.

“It's not going to be good if the cost of an F-150 pickup truck goes up significantly because of the tariffs that are being imposed on products that are coming to the United States to complete the manufacturing of those vehicles,” Bradley said.