Wynne pleased N.Y. drops ‘Buy American’

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was “pleased” that New York has dropped proposed Buy American provisions from its state budget, but she remained concerned Saturday about U.S. protectionism and uncertainty about the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Governor Andrew Cuomo had proposed the New York Buy American Act, which would have required all state entities to buy from American companies on new purchases worth more than US$100,000. But legislators reached a deal Friday that left Buy American provisions out.

Wynne called it a success for her government’s lobbying efforts in Albany, saying it “reflects a clear understanding among New York state’s political leaders of just how important our ongoing partnership is to both economies.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland also praised the development, calling it “great news for (Canadian) workers. “We worked together with NY friends to protect our shared prosperity,” she said on Twitter.

If New York’s Buy American provisions had passed, Wynne and her cabinet had planned to introduce legislation that would have allowed the province to respond “strongly,” she said.

The legislation would have concerned Ontario’s own purchasing policies and would have been a “proportional response” to New York’s Buy American policy, Wynne told The Canadian Press.

“The response would be about defending the interests of Ontario’s workers and Ontario’s businesses in proportion to what the Buy American legislation would have been,” she said.

Ontario had feared New York’s Buy American policy could have had a domino effect with other states if it was approved.

Wynne and Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid have been increasingly vocal about their concerns over signs of increasing protection in the U.S., not only in Buy American policies, but also speculation about a border adjustment tax and rhetoric about the pending renegotiation of NAFTA.