Canada is pushing back against Donald Trump’s tariff policies as New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt unveils a new plan to protect Canadians and strengthen the province’s economy.
Holt has delivered a strong response to Trump’s tariffs, arguing that Canadians should not be forced to bear the cost of escalating trade tensions between Canada and the United States. Her remarks come as Canada continues navigating the economic impact of U.S. tariffs and growing pressure on Canadian businesses, workers and consumers.
The latest move adds to Canada’s broader response to Trump’s tariff war, with Canadian leaders emphasizing economic resilience, domestic investment and stronger support for Canadian industries.
Watch the full video for Susan Holt’s latest remarks, Canada’s response to Trump’s tariffs and what the new plan could mean for New Brunswick and the wider Canada-U.S. trade relationship.
#Canada #SusanHolt #DonaldTrump #TrumpTariffs #CanadaUS #Tariffs #TradeWar #NewBrunswick #CanadianEconomy #CanadaNews #USCanada #TradeWar
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Holt has delivered a strong response to Trump’s tariffs, arguing that Canadians should not be forced to bear the cost of escalating trade tensions between Canada and the United States. Her remarks come as Canada continues navigating the economic impact of U.S. tariffs and growing pressure on Canadian businesses, workers and consumers.
The latest move adds to Canada’s broader response to Trump’s tariff war, with Canadian leaders emphasizing economic resilience, domestic investment and stronger support for Canadian industries.
Watch the full video for Susan Holt’s latest remarks, Canada’s response to Trump’s tariffs and what the new plan could mean for New Brunswick and the wider Canada-U.S. trade relationship.
#Canada #SusanHolt #DonaldTrump #TrumpTariffs #CanadaUS #Tariffs #TradeWar #NewBrunswick #CanadianEconomy #CanadaNews #USCanada #TradeWar
Also Read
Canada Hits Back At Trump With Retaliatory Tariffs On $20 Billion Of US Goods :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/canada-hits-back-at-trump-with-retaliatory-tariffs-on-20-billion-of-us-goods-8186853.html?ref=DMDesc
Canada-US Trade Talks Fail, Carney Warns of ‘Dollar for Dollar’ Tariffs :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/canada-us-trade-talks-fail-carney-warns-of-dollar-for-dollar-tariffs-8183883.html?ref=DMDesc
Himanshi Khurana Murder: Man Arrested In Canada Months After Indian-Origin Woman’s Death :: https://www.oneindia.com/international/himanshi-khurana-murder-man-arrested-in-canada-months-after-indian-origin-woman-s-death-8171099.html?ref=DMDesc
~PR.462~HT.408~ED.532~GR.508~VG.HM~
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NewsTranscript
00:00Tuesday evening, Trump announced another escalation of his chaotic and fruitless trade war with
00:05Canada. We have seen this movie before. And we've seen what tariffs do. They create uncertainty
00:12for businesses. They put pressure on workers. And ultimately, they mean higher prices for everyone.
00:19Tariffs don't just hurt Canadian families, they hurt American families too. When you put a tax
00:25on products coming across the border, somebody pays the bill. And too often, that somebody
00:31is a family sitting around their kitchen table, trying to figure out how to make ends meet.
00:37Mardi soir, Trump a annoncé une nouvelle escalade dans sa guerre commerciale chaotique et stérile
00:43contre le Canada. On a déjà vu ce film. Lorsqu'on impose un taxe sur le produit qui traverse
00:51les frontières, quelqu'un doit payer la facture. Et trop souvent, cette personne, un membre
00:56d'une famille assise autour de la table de cuisine, qui essaye simplement de joindre le
01:02debout.
01:04New Brunswickers are already feeling the pressure of affordability. People are watching every
01:09dollar they spend. So the last thing we need is another layer of uncertainty and higher
01:15costs. That's why we're focused on doing what we can to protect New Brunswickers and strengthen
01:23our economy. This is about jobs. It's about wages. It's about the businesses that our communities
01:29depend on. This is why we focus on what we can do to protect New Brunswickers and strengthen
01:39our economy. It's a matter of jobs. It's a matter of salary. It's a matter of businesses
01:45and our communities that depend on our people.
01:50We have New Brunswick companies that employ hundreds of people in good-paying jobs. They invest
01:55here. They build here. They pay taxes here. They support our communities. When those businesses
02:02are under attack, we need to show up for them.
02:08We have New Brunswick companies that employ hundreds of people,
02:13well-employed jobs. They invest here. They produce here. They pay their taxes here. They support
02:20our communities. When these businesses are under attack, we need to support them.
02:30This morning, I had a call with municipalities, crown corporations, public institutions, school
02:35districts, and all other public entities, asking them to join me in leaning in and supporting
02:42New Brunswick businesses in their purchasing of goods. When there is no New Brunswick option, I ask
02:49them to look to our neighbors across Canada. Effective October 1st, the government of New Brunswick
02:56will prohibit the procurement of U.S. goods and services for contracts with an estimated
03:01value of $5 million and more. We have directed government to review our supply chains, to
03:07identify opportunities to avoid purchasing U.S. products wherever possible, and we have asked
03:13all public institutions to join us in doing the same.
03:17This morning, I had a conversation with the municipality, the Crown Society, the public
03:23establishments, the school districts, and all other public entities to ask them to
03:29intensify their efforts and support New Brunswick in their purchasing of goods.
03:35We are undertaking a legislative review to explore granting the Minister of Natural Resources
03:40the authority to restrict moose, salmon, and mining claims to Canadian citizens.
03:45We are also asking NB Liquor to review its interprovincial purchasing and sales practices to
03:52identify opportunities to prioritize Canadian products.
03:55We are undertaking a legislative review to study the possibility of giving the Minister of Natural Resources
04:04the power of limiting access to hunting, hunting, fishing, salmon, mining claims to Canadian citizens.
04:24But we are not stopping there. We are not just asking businesses to weather this storm. We are giving them
04:31the tools to do it.
04:33Businesses in impacted sectors can access working capital loans of up to $5 million to help with lost revenues,
04:40increased costs, and supply chain disruptions.
04:43Opportunities New Brunswick has programs to help businesses manage tariff pressure,
04:48to strengthen contingency plans, to diversify markets, and improve productivity.
04:52We have also created a $1 million fund to support New Brunswick businesses impacted by this latest round of tariffs
04:59in marketing their products to New Brunswickers and Canadians, helping them grow their sales here at home.
05:09We are not just asking businesses to cross this tempest. We are giving them the tools to reach them.
05:16We are giving them the tools to reach them.
05:18We can have access to funds that can reach $5 million to get to $5 million to help them to
05:24compose
05:24the pertes of income, the increase of costs, the perturbations of the chain of provision.
05:29And we have also created a fund of $1 million to help New Brunswick businesses
05:36to help New Brunswick businesses to commercialize their products to New Brunswick and Canadians.
05:44The Regional Development Corporation has rapid response funding available to help address tariff impacts as they emerge.
05:51We are also supporting our fish and seafood sector.
05:55Fisheries and aquaculture is supporting market diversification with a particular focus on Europe and Asia
06:00through targeted trade shows, trade missions, and in-market promotions.
06:05Working NB is helping businesses keep people working and stay resilient through tariff-related financial pressures
06:11with enhanced training supports for employers and wage supports to help retain employees.
06:16These actions build on what New Brunswick has already done.
06:20For example, our ending of the procurement of U.S. alcohol.
06:24When we did the last round of review of provincial procurement and moved to cease procurement with U.S. suppliers,
06:30that reduced our U.S. contracts from $34.4 million in 2024-25 to $16.4 million in 2025-26.
06:40It cut our U.S. purchasing in half, and that represents about 0.7% of the total procurement that
06:48we do.
06:48New Brunswick companies receive 82% of the value of all government contracts in the first quarter of this year,
06:55which exceeded our 80% target.
06:58We also put measures in place to support New Brunswick workers and businesses,
07:02and we're building on that today because this isn't a one-day response.
07:06This is about making sure New Brunswick is ready to stand up for itself,
07:10and New Brunswickers are ready to stand up for New Brunswick as long as this uncertainty continues.
07:17This fits directly into our broader economic strategy.
07:20We've been working to grow New Brunswick's economy to create jobs that pay the bills
07:26and build businesses that can compete anywhere in the world.
07:30That's why we're doing this work, and tariffs don't change that.
07:33They just make it more urgent and more important.
07:36We know we can't put all our eggs in one basket.
07:39We're going to keep opening doors elsewhere.
07:41We're going to help New Brunswick businesses find customers and new markets.
07:45That means increasing our trade missions,
07:47putting New Brunswick businesses out in front of customers around the world.
07:51We're expanding our work in markets like India, Japan, South Korea, and Europe,
07:56helping New Brunswick businesses find new customers and new opportunities.
08:00And soon we'll be launching a market diversification strategy that pulls that up together.
08:05We've accelerated that work because now is the time to move quickly.
08:11We're going to make sure that anyone anywhere who's looking for a great product
08:16knows that New Brunswick can deliver it.
08:20We also know that we need to grow our diversification of markets.
08:26That means that we're going to put the companies in New Brunswick
08:30in contact with clients everywhere in the world.
08:33We're expanding our work in markets like India, Japan, South Korea and Europe
08:39to help New Brunswick businesses to find new clients and new opportunities
08:44so that they can have the opportunity to grow in this situation.
08:50We want to ensure that people in the world who are looking for a great product
08:54know that New Brunswick is able to deliver it.
08:58We can all play a role.
09:01And this is something that New Brunswickers have proven time and time again.
09:04Government can use its purchasing power.
09:06Public entities can use their purchasing power.
09:09Businesses can find Canadian suppliers.
09:12New Brunswickers can look at what's in their shopping cart.
09:14And when you have a choice, choose New Brunswick.
09:17Choose Canadian.
09:18That's why we're launching a renewed Buy Local campaign
09:22to help you choose New Brunswick.
09:23To showcase all of the different products that you might not have known
09:27or made here in New Brunswick.
09:29We're going to help you become aware of all the great things New Brunswick makes
09:32so that you can choose New Brunswick and choose Canadian
09:35when you're going out to do your purchasing.
09:39When you have the choice, we ask you to choose New Brunswick and Canadian products.
09:45That's why we're launching a local renewal campaign
09:50to help you choose New Brunswick.
09:54We're doing all of this as part of Team Canada.
09:56We're going to work with the federal government, other provinces and territories,
10:00and Canadian businesses.
10:01We don't have to agree on anything to agree that Canadian jobs
10:05and New Brunswick jobs are worth fighting for.
10:08We are stronger when we team up and stand together.
10:21We can't control what President Trump does,
10:24but what we can control is what we do here in New Brunswick.
10:27We can support the businesses that support our communities.
10:31We can use our purchasing power to put Canadian and New Brunswick products first.
10:36We can open new markets for New Brunswick businesses.
10:39We can use our own space to showcase the incredible things that we make right here at home
10:44because New Brunswick makes great products.
10:51We make great products. We make great beer.
10:58And if Trump doesn't want to have a moose head green or a crisp pump house crafty Radler,
11:03well, we're going to throw our own kitchen parties and stock our shelves with them.
11:07Now, more than ever, we need to stand up for New Brunswick businesses.
11:12And that's what our government is here to announce today.
11:14Supports on procurement, on market diversification, on marketing,
11:19and on supports during this difficult time to make sure that we are standing up for the businesses
11:25that stand up for New Brunswick during this trade uncertainty.
11:28Thank you very much.
11:30Thank you very much, Prime Minister. Thank you, Premier.
11:33We'll now proceed with questions from members of the media.
11:36Each reporter will have one question and a quick follow-up.
11:39You have the right to pose your questions in the official language of your choice.
12:06Just to let you know, we do have a limited time today, so we'll try our best to get to
12:11as many questions as possible.
12:13Savannah Odd, CBC.
12:16Hi. So last year you had announced that you didn't want U.S. procurement,
12:22but there would be exceptions if there was no other option.
12:25Does that exception exist anymore? Will you allow for that?
12:29That exception still applies.
12:31If the product that we need, say the drug to support kidney failures is an American drug
12:37and there is no Canadian or other alternative, then we need that drug
12:41and we'll have to procure it from the U.S.
12:43But where a Canadian alternative or New Brunswick alternative exists,
12:47then that is what will have to be procured.
12:49Okay. So just to clarify then, I guess what step is new today?
12:54So this is applying to U.S. goods and services.
12:57The first move was to U.S. suppliers, but now this will apply even to companies that may be in
13:03Canada
13:03that are supplying U.S. products.
13:06So we're looking to them to replace those products as well
13:09because we don't want those U.S. services or goods in the province
13:13as well as our previous exemption or exclusion of U.S. companies.
13:19Anna Mandin, CTV.
13:22Good morning.
13:23Just jumping off Savannah's question, I mean, a lot of this does sound like an expansion
13:28of previous announced measures.
13:31Is that what this is, more an expansion of what's already announced?
13:36Or can you talk about what is new about kind of the totality of this announcement today?
13:42So we have added things to the list of the procurement that we're excluding, as I said.
13:46So we're excluding U.S. goods and services now in our procurement.
13:51So that is new.
13:52We have added things like the Market Development Fund, a million dollars,
13:56to support New Brunswick companies marketing their products to New Brunswickers
14:00and to Canadians that have been specifically impacted by these tariffs.
14:04What we've asked NB Liquor to do is new, to cease marketing American brands,
14:10to look at their interprovincial policies for sales and marketing
14:15and to do something that supports the Team Canada effort that we've put forward.
14:19The market diversification strategy is launching and that has been accelerated
14:24from supposing to be ready months from now to being ready very shortly.
14:29And then we've increased our support to things like trade missions and in-market promotion
14:34in new countries and places where New Brunswick businesses are going to be looking
14:38to get new clients to offset the loss of American business.
14:41And I know you talk about the importance of, you know, protecting New Brunswick businesses.
14:46I'm wondering, do you have thoughts on the Canadian counter-tariffs and kind of the following
14:55escalation that came out of that?
14:57Yeah, we are clearly in a trade war and a very challenging situation
15:01where New Brunswick businesses have been directly impacted by the actions of Trump
15:06and Canada is responding in the best way possible to advance our interests in getting
15:25I think we've seen by the U.S.'s reaction that this is, that they need to see the strength
15:33of the Canadian economy and they'll recognize that there's a lot of products that Canada
15:38makes that the U.S. can't live without.
15:40And this is hurting American families alongside Canadian families.
15:43Nobody should be having to pay more under this economic climate.
15:47And New Brunswick and the whole government is going to lean in and back these businesses
15:51in New Brunswick and back their employees to make sure that we can reduce that pressure
15:55as much as possible.
15:58Now we're going to go online with Emily David, Radio-Canada.
16:04Emily David, Radio-Canada.
16:08Bonjour.
16:10The Prime Minister mentioned that cutting electricity would be one of the last resources.
16:18Est-ce qu'on est toujours dans ce point de vue-là?
16:22Ça a été annoncé il y a quelques semaines.
16:25Oui, on est toujours dans cette position-là.
16:27Ça, c'est quelque chose de vraiment sérieux de faire pour plusieurs raisons.
16:32Nous recevons de l'argent quand on vend notre énergie extra de surplus.
16:38Ça nous aide à essayer de diminuer les coûts pour les néo-brunswickois.
16:43Si on n'a pas ces revenus-là, ça va devenir plus cher,
16:46mais on regarde toujours la situation, le besoin.
16:50Il sait que cette opportunité est là et on l'utilise comme un outil dans les négociations.
16:58As-tu une suivie?
17:05On avait aussi parlé que le pétrole serait un levier ultime.
17:09Est-ce qu'on est encore dans cette même lignée-là avec l'électricité, Madame la Première Ministre?
17:15Oui, on regarde toujours c'est quoi nos outils pour mettre de la pression ou pour inviter une négociation avec
17:24les États-Unis.
17:24On entend certainement des gouverneurs et des États proches de nous autres.
17:32On sait que tellement ils ont besoin de nous autres, même si c'est pour nos plusieurs produits.
17:40Les homards, les bleuets et absolument l'essence et les produits pétrolières qu'on vend d'une façon assez importante
17:48dans les États-Unis.
17:49Alors on assure que les bonnes personnes autour de la table sachent l'impact de cette vente et comment on
17:58le contrôle.
17:59Merci beaucoup.
18:01Merci beaucoup.
18:01We will now go to Tori Fitzpatrick with the Canadian Press.
18:08Good morning.
18:10With this latest round of tariffs and import bans on Canadian products, which industries are you most concerned about?
18:20Well, the ones that we're seeing most directly is the impact to alcohol.
18:25The banning of importation of Canadian alcohol to the U.S. is going to have a direct impact on producers
18:31here in New Brunswick to a significant degree.
18:35We're talking millions of dollars and jobs associated.
18:39There are also other products being impacted.
18:41And we're even seeing it as this continues to be highly uncertain as the president continues to react in an
18:49irrational way.
18:51Customers of New Brunswick companies that are in the U.S. are starting to get more and more cold feet
18:58with their purchases of New Brunswick products.
19:00So we have had contracts threatened in the last few days as to whether they're going to deliver on significant
19:06millions of dollars of deals with New Brunswick businesses just because of the uncertainty and complexity that's been created by
19:13President Trump.
19:14And so we're watching both directly impacted and tariff sectors as well as companies in our forest sector and others
19:22that are seeing the impacts from their buyers.
19:24So alcohol is certainly the leading one. It's the most visible one, as we've seen the president come after our
19:31beer and alcohol products.
19:32But there are a number of others as well.
19:38Do you have a quick follow, Ms. Fitzpatrick?
19:42No, I'm okay. Thanks.
19:44Thank you. We will now go to Post Media's Adam Hearis.
19:50Thanks, Bruce. Thanks, Premier, for taking our questions.
19:53On exploring moose and salmon, restricting licenses and mining licenses, I guess now, too.
19:59What's the calculation you're weighing on this and what's the timeline for a decision?
20:05I mean, I've talked to Outfitters. It's a massive industry for New Brunswick.
20:10You know, they said an outright ban would hurt New Brunswick more than it would hurt the, you know, dozens
20:17of licenses that go to Americans.
20:19That's right. This is something that we're reviewing because we would have to make legislative change in order for that
20:25to be possible.
20:26And as you say, and I think as you covered, there are a small number of Americans that would be
20:33impacted.
20:34But again, this is a negotiating tool that creates a significant response among significant and influential Americans.
20:44And we also know that New Brunswickers love their moose licenses.
20:48And if we can get a few more of those into the hands of New Brunswickers, I think they'd appreciate
20:52that opportunity and that chance to get drawn.
20:55So it's something that we're looking at and we're gauging response on as we figure out whether that's a legislative
21:02step.
21:02But it's also about our resources in total because we do have mineral claims held by Americans and American companies.
21:10And we want to make sure that New Brunswick's resources are going to the benefit of New Brunswickers and maximum
21:16use.
21:16So we want to weigh all that up in conversation with the Outfitters, absolutely, and making sure that the analysis
21:23has been thorough and complete.
21:27Thanks.
21:28A follow up on the cost aspect of that, I mean, there's a cost to, you know, not, you know,
21:36having mining companies in the United States participate in the provincial industry.
21:41There's also, you know, there's, there's been new alcohol bans, you know, among other things, new tariffs.
21:47Do you have an update on the cost to the province in terms of both export dollars, but also affected
21:54jobs with this latest back and forth, both retaliatory tariffs from Canada, but then also what Trump's done this week?
22:02Yeah, the team has been crunching the numbers Tuesday morning and Wednesday.
22:07We see an increase in terms of impact of millions more dollars, but we haven't finalized the analysis on the
22:15jobs impact.
22:17It certainly adds to the impact of the previously threatened tariffs.
22:21And I think we had those at 531 jobs.
22:23So now that there's millions more revenue dollars impacted, that's going to mean more jobs.
22:30But I don't have those final numbers for you today.
22:32It's a pretty sensitive analysis that the Department of Finance and Treasury Board does.
22:37So we'll let you know when it's finished, Adam.
22:42On va maintenant procéder à Monsieur Alexandre Boudreau, l'Acadie Nouvelle.
22:48Bonjour.
22:49La réplique des États-Unis va faire du mal à certaines industries, là, dont l'alcool puis la mélasse.
22:55Mais pour l'instant, il n'y a pas eu d'escalade des tarifs.
22:59Ils n'ont pas monté en haut de 50 %.
23:00J'ai cité un économiste hier qui disait que ça aurait pu être pire pour la réplique des États-Unis.
23:04Est-ce que ce que vous annoncez aujourd'hui, est-ce que c'est, dans le fond, une réponse un
23:09peu modeste
23:10face à des représailles qui ne sont pas aussi intenses qu'elles auraient dit?
23:16Nous autres, on pense que notre réponse est une réponse fort pour défendre les entreprises de Nouveau-Brunswick,
23:22pour démontrer qu'on va acheter leurs produits, pas seulement nous autres,
23:26mais la directive partagée avec toutes les institutions publiques, nos municipalités et plus,
23:33pour chercher chaque opportunité d'éliminer le produit américain et le remplacer avec le produit néo-brunswickois
23:41ou canadien dans tous nos achats, pas seulement les achats du gouvernement,
23:45et les nouveaux supports de millions de dollars de fonds pour supporter de la vente aux néo-brunswickois et aux
23:53Canadiens,
23:54l'activité avec Alcool Nouveau-Brunswick, de réviser leurs programmes avec les autres provinces.
24:02Ça, c'est des bonnes étapes pour faire, pour renforcer notre économie, pour défendre le Nouveau-Brunswick
24:10face à un président américain qu'on ne peut pas préviser qu'est-ce qu'il va faire,
24:16mais on voit qu'il prend une attaque contre nos produits et contre nos entrepreneurs,
24:21et nous autres, on ne va pas être assis et faire rien dans cette situation.
24:24C'est le temps de protéger et supporter le Nouveau-Brunswickois et ça, c'est qu'est-ce qu'on
24:28fait.
24:32Juste pour venir à la question du coût des mesures que vous avez encez aujourd'hui.
24:36Compte tenu de votre déficit, est-ce que vous êtes prête à assumer les dépenses
24:39si jamais il est plus cher pour les organismes publics que sa provisionnée au Nouveau-Brunswick
24:43ou dans une autre province canadienne que sa provisionnée aux États-Unis?
24:48Si oui, pourquoi est-ce que ça en vaut la peine?
24:50Ça vaut la peine parce que c'est plus que le prix, Alexandre.
24:54On sait que quand on achète quelque chose de local,
24:58ça revient dans les retombées économiques et dans l'activité locale.
25:02Alors, on paye un petit peu plus peut-être, mais on reçoit une meilleure qualité,
25:07quelque chose de plus proche et des investissements et des impôts
25:11qui retournent dans la communauté et dans la province.
25:15Alors, il vaut la peine de supporter la Nouveau-Brunswick et les produits canadiens
25:19parce que quand on voit une diminution de l'activité économique
25:23et un besoin de dépenser plus d'argent comme gouvernement pour le supporter,
25:29c'est à cause du fait qu'on veut voir une activité économique assez importante
25:33pour qu'on puisse livrer les services dont la Néan-Brunswick demande.
25:37Le service de santé dépend sur une économie forte.
25:41Alors, le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick doit supporter que le service de santé existe
25:46et que les entreprises existent et que notre économie est forte.
25:49Alors, on doit faire des investissements dans les deux places pour atteindre l'objectif
25:55d'avoir tout le monde bien servi, tout le monde avec un bon emploi.
25:59Et quand on voit des menaces américains, c'est le temps de faire le travail
26:05et de supporter nos entreprises durant cette période difficile.
26:11Merci beaucoup.
26:12Merci beaucoup.
26:12We will go back online to Mike Landry with All New Brunswick.
26:19Yes, Premier.
26:21I did some crunching of the supplier list from 2025 last week,
26:27and I found that there was only about 100 or so American-tied companies
26:31that the province was using as suppliers.
26:34It wasn't a whole lot, but I'm wondering, do you know what the potential impact,
26:40the dollar impact might be on local companies with the idea of having to switch
26:49to Canadian products from locally owned companies?
26:54Is that expected to have a dollar impact?
26:57That is a dollar impact that we're trying to assess.
26:59Yes, as you point out, we cut our U.S. procurement in half from last year to this year
27:06with the actions that we took at the start of this trade war with Trump,
27:10so that it's down to less than 1% of government procurement.
27:14But like you say, we do know that we're also receiving U.S. goods and services
27:18through other suppliers, and so now we want to get at that and take it a step further
27:23and do everything we can to make sure that we have found those New Brunswick
27:27and Canadian alternatives where they exist.
27:30So I don't have a dollar figure to give you right now but what that potential is,
27:34but the team has been going through, as you have done, our procurement list
27:37of where we get American products from other suppliers
27:41and where we can work with those suppliers to swap those out for Canadian
27:45and for local alternatives.
27:48I was also looking recently at just the trade data export from New Brunswick
27:55over the first half of the year, well, through July.
27:59It looks good until you remove petroleum products and electricity.
28:04The trade value is down 11%.
28:08It's worth $430 million just year over year.
28:12It's probably even more if you compare it to 2024.
28:17The other thing that stood out to me was it's not just that the value is way down,
28:23but the volume, the quantity of things that are going out is way down.
28:29So we're seeing things like something like an apple, someone exporting an apple.
28:34They're able to export it, but they can't export near as much as the volume.
28:39And the apple that they're selling is inflated.
28:43The price has gone way up.
28:44And that's kind of across the board for New Brunswick exports.
28:48I know there's a lot of things you announced today as measures to address diversification and things.
28:55Just looking at the numbers, I just, it doesn't look like there's time.
29:01What gives you, you know, I wanted to put that to you just to see, do you feel that there's
29:05time?
29:05What gives you that confidence?
29:08Well, the time to act is now.
29:10When we have President Trump attacking New Brunswick businesses,
29:13then the whole government is going to stand up for our New Brunswick businesses,
29:18and we're going to put in place the supports that they need to find new customers.
29:23Because you described the point exactly.
29:25The US market is not a reliable market for Canadian suppliers right now.
29:30But thankfully, the rest of the world has never been more interested in buying from Canada and buying from New
29:36Brunswick.
29:37Because New Brunswick has what the world wants.
29:39We have the best apples in the world.
29:42And it used to be easy to get them to the US.
29:44Now we're going to work with the Port of St. John and the Port of Belle Dune,
29:48and with our partners to find new homes for those apples in other parts of the world that want them,
29:54and are going to benefit from them.
29:56And yes, that doesn't happen overnight.
29:58It's work that we have been doing now for the past year.
30:02We're going to accelerate that work in terms of more trade promotion opportunities and in-market promotions,
30:08more trade missions, a new market diversification strategy.
30:11We're seeing companies participating in those kind of activities in ways that they haven't before,
30:18because we've seen the impact on their businesses from the loss of US markets.
30:24We have also seen, Mike, I do want to point this out because it's worth mentioning,
30:28New Brunswickers and Canadians have stepped up.
30:31So we've replaced some of that lost American business with New Brunswickers buying more of our own apples,
30:37and New Scotians buying more of our apples, and all the way across Canada.
30:41And so some of that replacement has happened through Canadians and the kind of loyalty and patriotism that they've shown
30:48through this.
30:49And that's why we've reached out to all of the public institutions across New Brunswick
30:54and directed them to join us in a really concerted by New Brunswick and by Canadian effort through our supply
31:01chains
31:02that we think will also help to make up for some of those losses to the US that we've experienced.
31:07Thank you both.
31:08Johnny James, Global TV.
31:12Good morning, Premier.
31:13I just wanted to ask a quick question.
31:16It's a million dollars in new supports for affected businesses.
31:20Is that new spending on top of the budget or is that dollars that were already allocated in case of
31:27a situation like this?
31:28Yeah.
31:28So there's two different funds because one is a $5 million fund of support to help businesses through this tough
31:36time,
31:37and the other $1 million fund is very specifically to the companies impacted by the latest round of tariffs to
31:43use
31:43to promote their products to New Brunswickers and Canadians.
31:46So those are two funds that we've created to profile directly to these impacted businesses.
31:54We're doing a lot of work, as you know, the government of New Brunswick to find savings through our operations
31:59to look at how we could deliver things differently.
32:01And so ideally, we'll be able to find the $6 million through some of the savings efforts we've made.
32:07We've talked about the reduction of the size of the civil service, the attrition targets we've been achieving.
32:12There's more to come on that front.
32:13So it's our goal that we will be able to find this money by achieving savings elsewhere.
32:19But we are committing the $6 million to support New Brunswick businesses, whether we can find it elsewhere or not.
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