Seeking allies in Trump trade war, Eastern Canada's premiers look to U.S. governors

Mike Crawley · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Five Canadian premiers, including Ontario's Doug Ford, are successful Boston connected Monday astatine the invitation of immoderate northeastern U.S. governors to effort to forge alliances against Donald Trump's tariffs.

Ford is joined by chap premiers Tim Houston of Nova Scotia, Susan Holt of New Brunswick, Rob Lantz of P.E.I. and John Hogan of Newfoundland and Labrador for a time of meetings astatine Massachusetts State House with the governors of seven states oregon their delegates.  

Only 1 of the governors slated to be is Republican — Vermont's Phil Scott — truthful whether the gathering volition clasp immoderate sway with Trump is an unfastened question.

The governors and premiers volition sermon the impacts of Trump's tariffs and however U.S. and Canadian leaders "can proceed to enactment unneurotic to support economical relations that payment section businesses and residents," according to a quality merchandise from the event's host, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat.

Houston says the gathering volition assistance with the important relationships betwixt premiers and governors but helium admits the lawsuit is improbable to displacement Trump's presumption connected tariffs. 

"That's a president of the United States-level decision," Houston told a Halifax quality conference. "That doesn't mean we can't person affirmative relationships with governors and Americans successful general. I deliberation that's just, that's the goal." 

'Recruit much allies'

Holt is putting guardant a much optimistic presumption of what tin beryllium achieved by gathering with the governors.

"We would similar to proceed to promote them to enactment done their channels and their concern leaders to marque wide to the medication however tariffs are hurting Americans and Canadians," Holt told a quality league successful Fredericton.  

She said the extremity is to "get those messages done to the radical that we anticipation tin power the president" to driblet his tariffs against Canada.

"We're going to proceed to effort to physique and negociate the commercialized partnerships that substance to New Brunswickers and to New Brunswickers' jobs, to proceed to marque definite that our goods are being purchased by the U.S. and that we proceed to person entree to what we request to turn our system present portion we enlistee much allies successful the combat against tariffs," said Holt.

WATCH | Governor of Maine calls tariffs 'just a tax, plain and simple': 

The politician of Maine, Janet Mills, says the reluctance of Canadians to transverse the borderline is hurting tourism successful her authorities and the tariffs are having an interaction connected assorted sectors of Maine's economy, including agriculture, operation and breweries.

"I personally bash not recognize the rhetoric that's coming retired of Washington, retired of the president's mouth," Mills told CBC's Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday.

"We privation the Canadian radical to cognize ... that we don't stock that hostility oregon that benignant of rhetoric. We deliberation it's shameful. We privation to repair immoderate breached relationships," Mills said. 

Other governors slated to be are New York's Kathy Hochul and Rhode Island's Dan McKee, some Democrats.

New Hampshire's Republican politician won't attend  

The Republican politician of New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte, and the Democratic politician of Connecticut, Ned Lamont, volition nonstop representatives, according to a quality merchandise from the organizers. 

Ayotte is the lone politician successful the portion who did not motion the letter inviting the premiers to the event. She backed Trump's statesmanlike run in 2024, erstwhile she was moving for governor. 

Daniel Schwanen, vice president of the C.D. Howe Institute, a Toronto-based deliberation tank, says governors from some parties cognize that jobs and economical enactment successful their states volition beryllium negatively affected by a commercialized warfare with Canada and that makes them earthy allies of the premiers. 

"There's tremendous worth successful having a U.S.-based constituency that agrees with Canada's lawsuit that tariffs are mutually hurtful," said Schwanen successful an interview.  

"The economical realities connected the crushed are successful information not truly precise different, careless of whether your politician is simply a Democrat oregon a Republican," helium said. 

Quebec Premier Francois Legault was invited to the Boston gathering but volition nonstop a furniture curate successful his place.

Ford has made three trips to Washington, D.C. truthful acold this twelvemonth and galore appearances connected U.S. quality outlets to effort to transportation Americans that tariffs wounded the system southbound of the border. 

While the premiers are successful Boston, Trump is successful Canada, attending the G7 summit successful Alberta, a high-stakes gathering for each leaders but peculiarly truthful for Prime Minister Mark Carney.