‘War on our country’: N.S. premier slams Trump over ‘illegal tariffs’

The Maritime provinces are implementing action plans amid the U.S. tariffs.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston didn’t mince words Wednesday when he blasted U.S. President Donald Trump over his administration imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.

“Donald Trump is a shortsighted man who wields his power just for the sake of having it, not having any consideration for destructive impact of his decision on Canadians and also Americans,” said Houston during a news conference Wednesday.

“Canada did not ask for or initiate this. There is only one person that is driving this and that is President Trump. He and his inner circle of ‘yes’ people have declared war on our country and our province.”

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At midnight Tuesday, a range of sweeping 25 per cent tariffs against Canadian goods and exports kicked in, including energy exports, which are tariffed at 10 per cent.

In response, Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative government pulled American spirits and alcohol from the shelves at NSLC stores and doubled the tolls at the Cobequid Pass for commercial vehicles from the U.S.

The Opposition is asking Houston to come up with a more detailed response plan to the tariffs and asked his government to collaborate with them in an “All-Nova Scotia” approach.

“We need to make sure that the voices that we need to hear from are at the table,” said Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender. “We need to hear from industry, from all the leaders at sectors and the workers, and from Nova Scotians to see what our path forward is.”

With all the volatility and constant changes in the U.S., Houston said it makes it challenging to react quickly and bring in immediate solutions to lessen the impacts from the trade war.

He said a more detailed tariff response plan and strategy is in the works and supports in conjunction with the federal government will be detailed soon.

“But just so you have a sense where our heads are at, we are looking at options like EI (employment insurance) top-ups, like buying goods from cancelled projects and retraining options for (laid-off) workers.”

Houston calls for expansion of free trade across Canada

Houston said the ongoing trade dispute only reinforces the need to open up free trade across Canada and said he was disappointed more provinces haven’t gotten on board with his legislation tabled last month, which aims to break down interprovincial trade barriers.

“I would say that I was less than impressed with the urgency from some jurisdictions, and the prime minister addressed that also in his comments yesterday; he was also less than impressed,” said Houston.

“We actually had trade ministers that were talking about a 12-month study going across the country and looking at different regulations in different provinces, and obviously that is way out of touch with what is necessary at this moment.”

N.S. tables contingency fund

Meanwhile, the Houston government has tabled a $200-million contingency fund to deal with the economic fallout from what he calls the “illegal tariffs.” The fund will be used as necessary and topped up, if needed.

Houston anticipates there could be thousands of job losses if the tariffs aren’t reversed.

“If we need more, we’ll do more,” said Houston. “Everybody is waiting to see how this unfolds.”

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