“This is no way to treat an ally.” Maine Gov. Janet Mills pens letter to people of Canada
AUGUSTA, Maine —
Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, wrote an op-ed that was published on Sunday in the Toronto Star, the largest-circulation newspaper in Canada, decrying the tariff policies of President Donald Trump and the trade war between the United States and Canada.
“As the Governor of Maine, I want Canadians to know that the people of my state respect your proud history as an independent nation,” wrote Mills. “We will continue to raise awareness about how damaging these tariffs are and push Washington to end this dispute.”
In her letter, Mills said how the trade war is hurting people on both sides of the border with higher costs and lost manufacturing jobs. She called on Trump to de-escalate the dispute before Canada’s retaliatory tariffs take effect September 8.
Those retaliatory tariffs initially included a 25% tariff on American seafood, including lobster from Maine. That part of the tariffs has since been retracted.
With colder weather not far off, Mills wrote about how most of the municipal road salt used in the Saint John Valley in northern Maine comes from Canada. She said, in response to Trump’s tariffs, a major Canadian distributor has announced that it will halt deliveries for the foreseeable future.
“In northern Maine, where measurable snow can arrive as early as late September, the president’s trade war may soon threaten small town public safety. The damage to our state from the president’s whiplash global trade policies is not just limited to business with Canada.”
In her letter, Mills talked about what she says is the Maine way of handling things.
“Earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that President Trump is treating Canada “like Communist China.” My friend Doug is right: this is no way to treat an ally. In Maine, we sit down with our neighbours and work through our disagreements. We don’t resort to coercion and intimidation to get what we want,” she wrote.
She said there is “nothing fair” about a trade war that puts “small businesses, millworkers and rural communities in the crosshairs of a fight they did not start.”
Mills also referenced previous tariffs levied against Canada and the impacts she said they had on Maine, including costing the potential for 125 new jobs in Jay.
“We share more than a border with Canada—we share an economy, a history, friendships and families, and a way of life,” wrote Mills. “Our relationship does not belong to any one president or prime minister. It belongs to the everyday Mainers and Maritimers who can pull up a chair at Tim Hortons, do business together, and lend a hand when a neighbour needs one.”