Six US Governors Seek Tariff Truce With Canadian Premiers Amid Trump Trade Tensions

Six U.S. governors from the Northeast are reaching out to their Canadian neighbors for a little cross-border heart-to-heart—over tariffs, of course. With President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods stirring the economic pot, these governors have invited premiers from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Québec to Boston for trade talks. It’s kind of like a family reunion, but with more paperwork and less potato salad.

The bipartisan group—five Democrats and one Republican—issued a joint invitation, emphasizing the longstanding ties and shared interests between their regions. They didn’t sugarcoat the stakes, either, calling the tariffs "uninvited" and warning of serious economic fallout if things go sideways.

"While the international uproar over tariffs threatens to upend the economies of our respective communities, we write to reaffirm our friendship and unique interdependence," the governors wrote. Apparently, friendship now involves a lot of paperwork and stress balls.

The group promised to keep communication lines open, work together to minimize hardship, and keep cross-border travel and tourism alive. Because, let’s be honest, nobody wants to cancel their summer trips to Niagara Falls over a trade spat.

Meanwhile, President Trump is set to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and he’s not shy about his opinions. He’s floated the idea of making Canada America’s 51st state (imagine the confusion at the Olympics), and dismissed the value of Canadian imports, saying, "We don’t need their cars, we don’t want their energy, we have more than they do... We don’t want their lumber, we have great lumber, all I have to do is free it up from the environmental lunatics."

Maine Governor Janet Mills fired back, blaming "haphazard tariffs and harmful rhetoric" for straining U.S.-Canada relations. Looks like the only thing frostier than a Canadian winter right now might be the trade relationship itself.