All three Maritime premiers are standing behind Prime Minister Mark Carney amid 50 per cent U.S. tariffs after trade talks fell apart last week. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said Carney was presented with a “bad deal.” “You cannot negotiate a fair deal when the other side keeps changing the terms right up until the last minute,” she said in a press conference on Monday. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said he’s ready to support Carney, while working to make the province more independent. “We’re on Team Canada for sure. This is a time for national unity, to get together. But it’s a time for us to build, it’s a time for us to do, and look for reasons to build and do, and we’re focused on that in Nova Scotia,” he said. Prince Edward Island Rob Lantz posted a video to Facebook Sunday voicing his support for the Prime Minister, but also warning residents of troubles ahead. “The final terms were just unacceptable. The unfortunate reality is this is going to hurt,” he said in the video. Holt said the U.S. tariffs will hit $112 million in New Brunswick exports, with early estimates suggesting it could affect 500 jobs. The potential impact of Canadian counter-tariffs, which Carney says will impact American imports on Sept. 8, is unclear. New Brunswick is offering support, including retraining and income supports to those impacted by U.S. tariffs. “At the end of the day, we need economic growth. We need to be driving good paying jobs in this province,” Holt said. And while the province is still working with the federal government to determine retaliatory measures, using New Brunswick energy exports to the U.S. as a negotiating tool is on the table. “As Team Canada, we want to see the largest impact on the U.S. with the smallest impact on New Brunswick and on Canada,” Holt said. All three premiers are urging residents to support local, while businesses and provinces look for new export markets. “We have incredible things that our country makes that that we should be buying more and more of, regardless of whether they’re tariff impacted products or not, because that growing economy, that growing activity will give us the tools to support those businesses that are being hardest hit,” Holt said.
