6 US governors to open talks with Canadian provincial leaders on tariffs
The governors of six northeastern U.S. states have invited the premiers of six Canadian provinces to meet in Boston as both sides face the impacts of tariffs.
President Donald Trump's policy of imposing tariffs on products imported from America's northern neighbor and other nations has sparked controversy both in the U.S. and abroad.
The group of governors includes five Democrats — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, and Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee — and one Republican — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott.
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The governors are inviting the premiers of the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Québec, Healey and Mills press releases indicate.
"While the international uproar over tariffs threatens to upend the economies of our respective communities, we write to reaffirm our friendship and unique interdependence. Ours is a cherished relationship that is founded not only on mutual financial advantages but also on centuries-old familial and cultural bonds that supersede politics," the U.S. politicians said in their invitation.
"As Governors of the Northeast, we want to keep open lines of communication and cooperation and identify avenues to overcome the hardship of these uninvited tariffs and help our economies endure. As we continue to navigate this period of great uncertainty, we are committed to preserving cross border travel, encouraging tourism in our respective jurisdictions, and promoting each other's advantages and amenities," they noted.
Trump, who has repeatedly indicated that he would like Canada to become America's 51st state, is meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday.
"Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker asked Trump if he would speak to Carney about making the country the 51st state.
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"I'll always talk about that. You know why? We subsidize Canada to the tune of $200 billion dollars a year. We don't need their cars, in fact we don't want their cars. We don't need their energy, we don't even want their energy, we have more than they do. We don't want their lumber, we have great lumber, all I have to do is free it up from the environmental lunatics. We don't need anything that they have," Trump declared.
Mills said that the economic and cultural relationships between the U.S. and Canada have been "strained by the president’s haphazard tariffs and harmful rhetoric targeting our northern neighbors," according to the press releases.