The escalating trade war between the U.S. and Canada could play into the upcoming midterm elections, including a key U.S. Senate contest in Maine.<\/p>\n
The new Canadian levies would go into effect Sept. 8 and affect about $20 billion worth of goods, including seafood and wood products that are important to the Maine economy. The Maine Lobsterman\u2019s Association, the leading trade group for the state\u2019s iconic industry, warned Wednesday that the import duties would go into effect during the important fall fishing season when Canada purchases roughly half of Maine\u2019s lobster catch.<\/p>\n
The tariffs also affect key industries in other states where Republican congressional candidates face tough election fights, including steel, aluminum and some auto parts in Michigan, cheese products in Wisconsin, and washers and dryers in Kentucky where GE is a major employer.<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s industry minister, Melanie Joly, suggested that the countertariffs were designed to have a political impact when asked directly about it<\/a>\u00a0by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are putting pressure clearly on different states and different people. We don\u2019t want to do that. We don\u2019t want this trade war. We didn\u2019t start it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The dispute is already factoring into the U.S. Senate race in Maine, where Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term.<\/p>\n While Collins has opposed the American tariffs on Canada, Troy Jackson, her Democratic opponent, is blaming her for not doing enough to stop them.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump restarting this trade war is a betrayal to our working families and broad tariffs act as a direct tax on Mainers,\u201d Jackson posted on social media. \u201cSusan Collins has completely failed to stop him. As always she\u2019s got concerns about what these broad new tariffs will do to Maine, but she\u2019s got no action.\u201d<\/p>\n Collins said Wednesday that she has voted several times to terminate the tariffs on Canadian goods. She noted that many products made or harvested in Maine \u2014 such as potatoes, blueberries and lobster \u2014 are shipped to Canada for processing before being returned to Maine, making the final products \u201cfar more expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not China we are dealing with,\u201d Collins said during a brief interview after an event in Kenduskeag. \u201cIt is Canada, our best friend, a country with whom our economy is completely intertwined and with whom we have so many families that are linked as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Collins, who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said she spoke for about half an hour Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who has been heavily involved with the on-again, off-again negotiations with Canada. Collins said she urged Greer to return to the negotiating table and said she stressed the importance of \u201cmaking sure these tariffs are removed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think there will be other challenges in the courts as well, but it would be best if this were just addressed in a friendly way between two close allies,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the lobsterman\u2019s association is urging<\/a>\u00a0the Trump administration to quickly seek a resolution with Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cMaine lobstermen should not become collateral damage in a broader trade dispute. Losing access to such an important market at the height of our fall season could be devastating to fishermen and coastal communities,\u201d Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobsterman\u2019s Association, said in a statement.<\/p>\n