Healey, Northeast governors invite Canadian premiers to Boston

Politics

“Canada is Massachusetts’ number one trading partner.”

Gov. Maura Healey, along with five other governors of northeastern states, is spearheading a meeting with Canadian provincial leaders in Boston to delve into the impacts of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

In a statement, Healey’s office said the meeting will focus on “how American and Canadian leaders can continue to work together to maintain strong trade relations that benefit local businesses and residents.”

The invitation by Healey, Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, and Vermont Governor Phil Scott was sent to the premieres of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Québec. 

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

In 2024, Maine saw more than $6 million in commerce with Canada, Mills said in a statement. 

“Our economies and our cultures have enjoyed strong relationships for generations, which is now strained by the president’s haphazard tariffs and harmful rhetoric targeting our northern neighbors,” she said.

In a statement, Scott said he is looking forward to the meeting to find ways to “mitigate” the cost increases resulting from the Trump administration’s tariffs. 

“As I have said in the past, I don’t believe increasing tariffs on our friends and close allies is in the best interest of Vermont or the United States,” he said. “A trade war with our friends to the north, our largest trading partner, seems like a bad idea.”

Healey has been warning that Trump’s tariffs on Canadian energy alone could cost Massachusetts consumers nearly $1 billion, with the increase for the New England region likely reaching $2.5 billion. 

The Trump administration has instituted a 25 percent tariff on most Canadian goods. 

Details on the meeting will be forthcoming, according to Healey’s office.