N.B. premier to focus on tariffs, energy projects at Boston meeting with U.S. governors

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is meeting with U.S. governors in Boston next week.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is hoping to stress the harmful impact of tariffs on Canadians and Americans at an upcoming meeting of leaders from both sides of the border in Boston next week.

Holt will be joining several premiers at a meeting with six northeastern U.S. governors in Boston on Monday. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy extended the invitation to the premiers last month.

“Canada is Massachusetts’ number one trading partner,” Healy said in a news release. “For generations, we have enjoyed a strong partnership and a healthy exchange of energy, lumber, dairy, cars and car parts, seafood and more.

“President Trump’s tariffs are undermining this partnership, making it harder for businesses to keep their doors open, and increasing the cost of everything that the New England and Canadian people rely on.”

Holt, at a news conference on Thursday, said her focus at the meeting will be the ongoing tariff situation and explaining their effects to her American colleagues.

“Ideally what we’d get is the governors agreeing to articulate their objections to the tariffs,” she said. “If we can get everyone agreeing that the tariffs are negatively impacting Americans and passing that message on to the White House, that would be a win.”

Holt also said she plans to highlight “critical files” at the meeting, including energy development.

“New Brunswick supplies a lot of energy products to New England,” she said. “I think 90 per cent of the cars in Boston are driving with gas that comes from the Irving refinery and us. They are keen to make sure we will continue to be a reliable supplier of energy to them.

“We see the U.S. as a market to sell energy in a way that is profitable and beneficial to New Brunswick.”

Holt was asked Thursday about the decision by some western provinces to put American liquor brands back on the shelves. She said existing inventory that was sitting in warehouses is now being sold at NB Liquor agency stores. Once that sells out, Holt says you will no longer be able to find American booze in the province until the tariffs have been removed.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston will also be in Boston Monday. He says the talks are an opportunity to strengthen relations with one another.

“The Atlantic premiers and the southern governors and the New England governors, these are longstanding relationships… we’ll discuss all kinds of ways that we can kind of work together,” said Houston.

Earlier this month, New Brunswick hosted the Southeastern United States - Canadian Provinces Conference in Saint John, bringing together business and government leaders to explore investment opportunities across the border.

The conference, which was last held in New Brunswick in 2011, welcomed more than 240 delegates and more than 95 companies.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Avery MacRae.

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