(The Center Square) — Northeast leaders want to huddle with Canadian provincial officials to discuss ways to mitigate the impact of Trump’s tariffs while maintaining trading relations.
Led by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, the governors from five other Northeast states — New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island — said they have invited the leaders of several Canadian provinces, including Quebec and Nova Scotia, to meet in Boston to discuss how to maintain their “cherished” cross-border relationships.
“We are keenly aware of the effects these tariffs have on citizens on both sides of the border,” the governors wrote. “Businesses small and large that employ citizens in the US and Canada are already facing severe consequences from the trade war as the tariffs make life increasingly more expensive for our people and our businesses.”
In a letter, the governors formally requested a sit-down meeting with their Canadian counterparts in Boston “in coming weeks” to discuss trade and cross-border relations.
Northeast states — especially those along the northern border — are heavily reliant on Canadian imports, federal trade data shows. Canada is the New England region’s largest single trading partner, accounting for $27 billion in goods last year, the data shows.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the Empire State and Canada have a $50 billion annual trade relationship and the Trump administration’s tariffs “are hurting our businesses hard.”
“President Trump’s tariffs are the largest tax hike in American history — and they’re devastating to the small businesses, family farms, and local manufacturers,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement. “It’s more important than ever that governors work together to protect their states from these costs.”
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said her state does more than $6 billion in cross-border commerce with Canada, which is now “at risk” because of the tariffs.
“Our economies and our cultures have enjoyed strong relationships for generations, which is now strained by the president’s haphazard tariffs and harmful rhetoric targeting our northern neighbors,” Mill said in a statement. “We will work to ensure our historic friendship, and deeply intertwined economies, endure for generations to come.”
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, the only Republican chief executive in the group, said he believes Trump’s “trade war” is hurting businesses and consumers in his state. He hopes any meeting between Canadian and state leaders will help mitigate cost increases and preserve “long-standing” trading partnerships.
Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs on imports from about 90 nations in April, with a 10% across-the-board tariff applied to all affected countries’ imports. The president declared it a “national emergency” and said the tariffs are needed to whittle down a trade deficit with other countries, ranging from China to the European Union.
Two countries, Canada and Mexico, were spared from the latest round of tariffs, but the neighboring nations are still subject to 25% tariffs on auto imports, according to the Trump administration. Both countries have responded with their own tariffs targeting U.S. imports.
On Tuesday, Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss trade relations, a week after he was elected to the job with a promise to stand firm against Trump’s tariffs and push back on the president’s desire to make Canada the 51st state. Trump said the two sides are committed to working together on a compromise, but didn’t offer any specifics.
“We’re gonna be friends with Canada,” Trump told reporters in televised remarks Tuesday from the Oval Office. “Regardless of anything, we’re going to be friends with Canada.”
