The day after New Brunswick's Liberal government tabled a budget with a $549 million deficit, the Opposition Progressive Conservatives had virtually nothing to say about it.

The PCs instead devoted most of their time in the legislature Wednesday to criticizing the Liberals for their response to the threat of U.S. tariffs.

But the PCs didn't often any concrete proposals of their own — other than the revival of an oil pipeline and a natural gas industry they've been championing for more than a decade.

"For many New Brunswickers who have been looking for action and looking for leadership, the premier has failed to meet the moment," said PC MLA Bill Oliver, one of several who used their allocated time to criticized Premier Susan Holt.

 

PCs skip budget attacks, target Liberal tariff plan

 

The PC opposition says Premier Susan Holt needs to be more aggressive in tariff war, but won’t say exactly how

"It looks like the premier has turned thumbs down to 'elbows up,'" added his colleague Bill Oliver, referring to the popular slogan adopted by Canadians in the trade war.

Holt unveiled a tariff "action plan" on March 4 that includes funds to retrain any laid-off workers and money to help exporters adapt if they are hit with tariffs on products they sell into the U.S. market.

So far, she has avoided more dramatic moves, such as threatening to cut off — or slapping a surcharge on — electricity exports that allow 58,000 residents of northern Maine to turn on their lights and heat their homes.

"It appears that the premier and the deputy premier are more concerned with the power bills of folks in northern Maine who voted for Donald Trump than they are with the New Brunswickers who actually voted for them," said PC MLA Sherry Wilson.

Premier Susan Holt unveiled a tariff action plan earlier this month. (Ed Hunter/CBC)

But speaking to reporters later, PC Leader Glen Savoie said his party was not endorsing a surcharge on, or cutting of, power transmission to Maine.

He said Wilson's comment was a tongue-in-cheek way of highlighting Liberal inaction.

The premier said during question period that she had met with Savoie and Green Leader David Coon on the issue and Savoie had not offered any alternative ideas the government could pursue.

"I have yet to hear any suggestions from the opposition on what we should be doing differently, on things we should be adding," Holt said.

"If they think that we haven't budgeted sufficient amounts at $162 million, do they have better estimates for what they think this might cost?" 

The PCs had called for the legislature to be called back earlier than its scheduled March 18 date for more debate on the tariff response, something the government turned down.

On Wednesday, all parties agreed to an emergency debate on tariffs that would continue into the evening.

Savoie complained that the legislature will break for a weeks of committee debate on budget estimates on March 28, leaving little time for more discussion of the tariff response.

He also rejected Holt's comment that the PCs should propose something specific if they think her package is lacking. 

"They are government," Savoid said. "They are supposed to be leading this. Our job is supposed to be to hold them to account."

Holt's government introduced legislation Wednesday to lower interprovincial trade barriers on alcohol.

Once adopted, the bill will allow New Brunswickers to order alcohol products directly from outside the province and eliminate limits on how much alcohol someone can bring in to the province.

The government has promised other measures to lower interprovincial trade barriers as a way of mitigating the impact of tariffs on trade with the U.S.

The Opposition PCs said trade measures on alcohol are not enough

PC MLA Kris Austin introduced a non-binding motion that, if passed, would call on the government to lift the decade-old moratorium on natural gas development as a way to help Canada have more energy independence from the U.S.

Holt told reporters that because the tariff issue is "still in flux"— with a U.S. decision on broadening the measures expected April 2 — it's early to get into detailed accounting of how her relief package is working or which businesses are using it. 

Opposition party politicians on P.E.I. say the provincial government's response to the 25 per cent tariffs on virtually all Canadian goods imported into the United States lacks urgency and substance. 

On Tuesday, the Progressive Conservative government pulled all American alcohol from its liquor store shelves and outlined the first phase of its plan to combat the U.S. trade war. It lays out a number of measures to support businesses and explore new trading opportunities in the hope of providing relief to those who will be hurt. 

But the opposition expected more. 

"The response is not just weak, it's negligent," said Hal Perry, the interim leader of the provincial Liberals. "Islanders deserve transparency and not just vague promises from this government. So I really believe that this government is taking their eye off the ball." 

Perry pointed out that the discussions around the potential impacts of these tariffs have been taking place for months— starting under the leadership of former premier Dennis King, who resigned on Feb. 20. In fact, this isn't the first time the province has removed U.S booze in retaliation. 

Perry said he was expecting a more detailed plan this time around, under Premier Rob Lantz.

P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz announced on Tuesday that the province would be reviewing all American government contracts and will limit large-scale purchases from the U.S. going forward. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

"I would like to see a contingency plan put in place, allocating a specific amount of dollars put aside," he said. 

"They had the time to put a solid plan in place to react with these tariffs, so Islanders would have some security knowing ... the government of this Island had their back. And I didn't get that from their message."

'Money in people's pockets'

Green Party MLA Matt MacFarlane said he understands the benefits of doubling the number of trade missions to find new markets — one of the measures Lantz announced on Tuesday. But he would like to see more immediate help for those who'll need it. 

"Those trips don't result in immediate money in the pockets of the people who are going to be impacted by these tariffs," he said.

"Let's hope they bear fruit down the down the road. But in the meantime, we need to come back to look at who is going to be affected right here on the ground in the coming days."

'We're going to keep an eye on it and hopefully we're going to see some more concrete things,' says Green MLA Matt MacFarlane. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC News)

MacFarlane is calling for more measures to be announced. For example, he would like to see support for workers whose jobs could be at risk because of the tariffs, and financial relief such as tax breaks on essential products.

"This is not going to take a long time before people really see what materializes in their bank accounts here in P.E.I," he said. 

Although MacFarlane said he too was expecting this plan would include more "concrete tangible initiatives," he acknowledged there are a lot of moving parts to this issue. Still, he is hoping to see a fully formulated plan when the legislature resumes on March 25. 

"What I want to see is a plan that results in support for the people who are going to need it," said MacFarlane.

"We need to get money in people's pockets who need it, who are going to be paying the price for something they did not ask for and is beyond their control and could have a serious impact on their bottom lines."

Malpeque MP Heath MacDonald recently took P.E.I.'s concerns to U.S. politicians as Donald Trump's tariff threats loom.

He was part of a group of Canadian MPs who travelled to Washington, D.C., on an official trip to advocate for Atlantic Canada's interests with American politicians and business leaders.

MacDonald met with two U.S. senators and one congressman during the trip. He said he noticed a divide in their views on tariffs — while the two senators opposed them, the congressman, who's from Maine, was in favour.

"The conversation was, you know, very blunt on our behalf. I mean, that's why we're there, to put all the cards on the table, but to hear the responses was very interesting," the Malpeque MP told CBC's Island Morning.

'Buyer's remorse'

After those discussions, MacDonald said he sensed some "buyer's remorse" from the congressman's office, given Maine's strong economic ties with Canada, particularly in the fishery industry.

MacDonald pointed out while Maine has about 15 seafood processing plants, Canada has close to 250. Much of Maine's lobster is processed in Canada before being sent back to the U.S.

"There's a concern that these tariffs are going to put exponential costs on obviously that product," he said. "So there's a little bit of buyer's remorse, so I think we're making some inroads, but it's still a long way to go," he said.

In addition to meeting with politicians, MacDonald also spoke with the Washington-based National Potato Council to highlight P.E.I.'s concerns.

Speaking with lawmakers is just one part of the strategy, he said. The key is ensuring their constituents and industries understand how tariffs will affect them.

"You can talk to senators and congressmen, legislators all day long, and it doesn't necessarily hurt them quite as much, but as soon as you start hurting their constituents, that's where we have to go, and I think that's the level that we need to capitalize on," he said.

"It's important to get to the grassroots."