New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says “everything is on the table” in responding to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threat, but cautioned she won’t take actions that could hurt her province.
Her comments came as Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned his province could cut off energy exports to the U.S. in response to the proposed tariffs.
Asked by The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson about Ford’s proposal, Holt stressed certain actions could cause “significant trouble” for the province, but they were still “preparing for the worst” with the president-elect’s actions.
“We don’t want to cut off our nose to spite our face,” she said. “There would be significant trouble caused to New Brunswickers if we stopped selling products into the U.S.”
She noted Trump’s tariffs would already make exporting products to the U.S. more challenging, but “cutting off” the province’s largest customer, such as the petroleum products it sends to the U.S. would create more issues.
According to a report by the New Brunswick government released in July, the U.S. received 92.1 per cent of the province’s exports in 2023.
In her interview, Holt said her government was doing analysis to determine how they could retaliate with the least impact to New Brunswick but most to the U.S., and in particular the places the “Trump administration is most sensitive to.”
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“We’re looking at all of the different things that we import in from the U.S., as well as the critical things that we send to them to prepare a strong retaliatory strategy that we will have ready in case and we hope we won’t have to use it,” Holt said.
At the same time, the premier said government officials are trying to make the case to Trump that his proposed tariffs would hurt American consumers and its economy — though tariffs would be put on Canadian products coming into the U.S., American consumers would see higher prices for some of those items.
Tariffs are a tax imposed by governments on imports from other countries. They can be sweeping, or specific. Importers pay the tariffs, then typically pass that cost along to consumers who see it in the form of higher prices.
“We’re going to be making that case, but we’re preparing for the worst,” she said.
Holt and Ford, along with Canada’s other premiers, met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the 25-per cent tariffs Trump has threatened to impose on all Canadian imports on his first day in office, which is Jan. 20, 2025.
Following that meeting, Ford said they would “cut off” millions of American residents living in border states, stating he would “turn off the lights” to about 1.5 million Americans. Government sources told Global News the province is also considering restricting imports of U.S.-made alcohol and limiting exports of Canadian critical minerals to the U.S.
In the interview, Holt said Ottawa has responded “in a really serious way,” noting actions to strengthen the border. But she also said her province is also looking to get more detail from Ottawa on what investment from that plan will come to New Brunswick in relation to the Port of St. John.
She said there’s been more and more containers coming into the port every day, and the Canada Border and Services Agency (CBSA) installation in New Brunswick at the port are feeling strain and need the ability to grow. While specifics are being worked out, Holt told Global News this week that more border security investments, like joint RCMP and DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) efforts are being looked into.
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