Trade spat an ‘aberration’: MacLauchlan
Premier says New England governors committed to free trade
New England’s governors view the current trade spat between Canada and the U.S. as an “aberration,” according to Premier Wade MacLauchlan.
MacLauchlan recently returned from a two-day conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Vermont earlier this week. A major theme of the conference was concern for the economic uncertainty that has been a byproduct of the trade dispute. The governors and premiers approved a resolution stating “free and open trade” under NAFTA had led to “benefits for businesses, workers and communities in both countries.”
“These people are nervous on both sides of the border,” MacLauchlan said. “Everyone’s concerned, first of all, about the uncertainty.”
MacLauchlan said governors in the U.S. are seeing pressure from businesses and constituents to resolve the trade dispute. He said the imposition of punitive tariffs by both the U.S. and Canada was seen as a damaging development by both his Canadian and American counterparts.
“This is seen by the businesses in the states that we’re talking to as an aberration. And, of course, they’re concerned about it if it adds to their input costs,” MacLauchlan said.
But MacLauchlan said the relationships between the two regions remained strong despite the trade strife. He said the Island’s exports to the New England region had increased during the last year.
MacLauchlan said discussions with his U.S. and Canadian counterparts, as well as federal trade negotiators have also been beneficial for Island businesses.
“There are a couple of instances where there have been exemptions made from the tariffs by good P.E.I. companies,” MacLauchlan said.
A trade negotiator working
with the Island’s government clarified that, earlier in the spring, the provincial government managed to convince Canadian authorities to remove some businesses, which sourced local companies on the Island, from the list of companies facing retaliatory tariffs.
A U.S. operator that sourced raw steel for Charlottetown Metal
Products was among the companies removed from the list.
Several local business leaders, including Jason Aspin, CEO of Aspin Kemp and Associates, and Russ Compton, president of Norcan Marine, also accompanied the premier to the Vermont conference as part of an initiative to grow economic ties in the region.
MacLauchlan also had a meeting
with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft in Vermont. Craft will be visiting P.E.I. during the weekend.
The conference concluded with resolutions committing to regional co-operation on climate change adaptation and clean energy.