New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said “everything is on the table” in response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs, but warned that she would not take measures that might harm her province.
Her comments came as Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that his province could cut off energy exports to the United States in response to the proposed tariffs.
Asked by Western blocBy Mercedes Stevenson On Ford’s proposal, Holt stressed that some of the actions could cause a “huge problem” for the county, but they are still “preparing for the worst” with the president-elect’s actions.
She said: “We do not want to cut off our nose to spite our face.” “It would be a big problem for New Brunswick residents if we stopped selling products to the United States.”
She noted that Trump’s tariffs would already make it more difficult to export products to the United States, but “cutting off” the province’s largest customer, such as the petroleum products it sends to the United States, would create more problems.
According to a report By the Government of New Brunswick In July, the United States received 92.1 percent of the province’s exports in 2023.
Holt said in her interview that her government is conducting an analysis to determine how to retaliate with the least impact on New Brunswick but most on the United States, particularly the places that the Trump administration is “most sensitive to.”
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He added: “We are looking at all the different things that we import from the United States, as well as the important things that we send to them to prepare a strong retaliation strategy that we will have ready in the event that this happens, and we hope that we do not.” “I have to use it,” Holt said.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said government officials are trying to convince Trump that the proposed tariffs would hurt American consumers and their economy — even though tariffs would be imposed on Canadian products coming into the United States, American consumers would see higher prices on Canadian products. Some of those items.
Tariffs are a tax imposed by governments on imports from other countries. It can be comprehensive, or specific. Importers pay the tariffs, then typically pass this cost on to consumers, who see it in the form of higher prices.
She added: “We will raise this issue, but we are preparing for the worst.”
Holt and Ford, along with Canada’s other prime ministers, met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the 25% tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose on all Canadian imports on his first day in office, January 20, 2025.
After that meeting, Ford said they would “isolate” millions of American residents living in border states, noting that he would “turn off the lights” on about 1.5 million Americans. Government sources told Global News the province is also considering restricting imports of US-made alcohol and limiting exports of critical Canadian minerals to the United States.
Ottawa has responded in a “really serious way,” Holt said in the interview, pointing to measures to strengthen the border. But she also said her province is also looking forward to getting more details from Ottawa about the investment that will come from this plan to New Brunswick regarding the Port of Saint John.
She said there are more and more containers entering the port every day, and the Canada Border and Services Agency (CBSA) in New Brunswick feels the port is stressed and needs the capacity to grow. While details are being worked out, Holt told Global News this week that more investments in border security are being considered, such as the joint efforts of the RCMP and DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration).
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