Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. says it is “unacceptable” to apply Buy America restrictions to a project on Canadian soil.
The U.S. wants to use American steel to update a ferry terminal at Prince Rupert on Canada’s Pacific coast. The U.S. state of Alaska paid $3.3 million to lease the land for 50 years so it can rebuild the terminal facilities and docking structures there.
The port at Prince Rupert is part of the Alaska Marine Highway System that is a link between Alaska and the American states south of Canada. It is more convenient for some travellers to use it rather than the port in Bellingham, Washington.
In a letter to the governor of Alaska, Canadian ambassador Gary Doe wrote “Buy America policies run counter to the economic interests of both the U.S. and Canada, as they deny our companies and communities the clear benefits that arise from our integrated supply chains,” Doer wrote.
“In these tough economic times, Canada and Alaska should be working together to make the best use of taxpayer dollars and allow this project to benefit from unfettered access to the North American procurement market.”
Although Canada and the United States have signed a Free Trade Agreement, Canada still finds itself having to ask for a special waiver to exempt the Prince Rupert project from the Buy America policy.
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