Monday June 16, 2025 | BOSTON, MA – Reporting from VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 2 pm PT | Updated 2:20 pm & 4:23 pm PT]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
For just over an hour today, five Canadian Premiers held a one-hour public roundtable discussion with U.S. Governors of Eastern states about economic development in their regions in response to tariffs imposed by the US administration. That included time for questions from US and Canadian media.
That session followed a closed-door session in the morning.
A friendly atmosphere prevailed. The Governors are considering the Premiers’ invitation (to all US Governors) for a trip to Canada to possibly tour various aspects of tourism and power-generation (energy and critical minerals).
Who was there:
Canada was represented by Ontario Premier Doug Ford (who chairs the Council of the Federation that represents all 13 premiers of provinces and territories), Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan, and PEI Premier Rob Lantz.
Those four premiers come from different political parties: Conservative (Ford, Houston and Lantz) and Liberal (Holt).
The Eastern Governors convened for the discussion by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey included Maine Governor Janet Mills, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, and Vermont Governor Phil Scott.
Quebec was represented by Québec Minister of the Economy and Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism Christopher Skeete (representing Premier François Legault).
Also attending were Connecticut Energy and Environmental Affairs Commissioner Katie Dykes (representing Governor Ned Lamont) and New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell (representing Governor Kelly Ayotte).
The meeting was called Strong Partnerships, Shared Future. It was held at the Massachusetts State House in Boston,
What was said:
Governor Healey (Massachusetts) said the northeast is open for business and trade, that the governors value and respect their Canadian neighbours. She said about the governors and premiers there today.
“We want to do things and deliver things.” She noted that tourism, supply chains/manufacturing, travel safety considerations, and things at the border have all been impacted in response to the US Trump administration’s directions. She said the northeastern collaboration is “a continuing discussion, for sure”.
The US governors want Canadians to come back, they are welcome. But Premiers said they are encouraging Canadians to vacation at home in Canada this year. The Premiers said that Americans need to speak up loudly about tariffs.
Governor Mills (Maine) spoke highly of the family, cultural, economic and historical connections between Americans and Canadians in the Northeast.
Premier Ford promoted the clean, green, reliable cost-effective energy benefits of small nuclear reactors (including to meet the demands of data centres) and repeated his mention of “the AmCan fortress” to express the integration of the economies of the two countries. He hopes that the US and Canada can “strike a deal to give certainty” to investors and the bilateral economic trade relationship overall: “You put a ring around Canada and the US and you get the strongest most prosperous regions of anywhere in the world.”
Ontario’s premier stressed the need “to get the message to the American people (and) the Canadian people that we’re the closest friends and allies and always will be”. He stressed that “China is the single problem. They’ve cut off the US from any critical minerals that they want to use for technology, aerospace or military. Ontario has more critical minerals than anywhere in the entire world,” said Ford. “And who do I want to send them to? I want to send them to our closest friends and allies.”
Ford listed off at least three US energy companies that are already working collaboratively in Ontario.
“The rhetoric we’ve been hearing out of the President is unfortunate. We want to continue to grow our relationship, give certainty to the world that the US and Canada is open for business,” said Ford. He said that leaders in other countries are “dumbfounded” and have told him ‘I can’t believe the President is going after your country’.
Premier Houston said the group had discussed housing, health-care and energy today. He hopes the collaboration works for all. “Nobody created this situation and the divide between our countries. When Canadians hear the talk of the 51st state stuff it makes us pretty upset,” said Houston. Houston said he hopes Nova Scotia is the first location in Canada to capture ocean wind power.
Premier Holt remarked on how the meeting today focused on tourism impacts and how it’s important for build connections for more energy resiliency and energy security.
Aligning with G7 timeline:
Also happening today is the G7 meeting in Alberta, hosted by Canada and being attended by President Trump. There was a general overall expression that hopes for a positive outcome for bilateral relations from that meeting.
===== RELATED:
- Trump says US-Canada trade deal can be readily achieved (June 16, 2025)
- Governor General Mary Simon to welcome Macron and Trump (June 15, 2025)
- Carney’s big Sunday on the world stage on home turf (June 14, 2025)
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