Canada cancelled planned tariffs on about $1.1 billion of American fish and seafood products , a break for Maine and Alaska, both major fish exporters and key states in the midterm battle for control of the United States Senate. The changes were announced Wednesday evening after feedback from the Canadian fish industry , Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said. Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a “ dollar-for-dollar ” response to new tariffs imposed by the White House covering roughly US$20 billion of goods. Canada’s initial list of retaliatory tariffs, which targeted roughly US$20 billion of American products, including a long list of fish and seafood items. Maine would have been the most vulnerable state to those duties: 34 per cent of its exports to Canada would have been affected. Now that figure will drop to 12 per cent, according to Bloomberg News calculations. “I very much appreciate Canada’s decision to remove seafood and fish products from its retaliatory tariff list. These tariffs would have caused tremendous harm to Maine’s lobstermen,” Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said in a social media post. “I urge the U.S. to respond to this show of good faith from our Canadian friends by returning to the negotiating table and working to amicably resolve this trade dispute.” Collins’ seat is one of the most competitive races in the November midterm elections, in which U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republicans are trying to keep control of the chamber. Democrats need to pick up four Senate seats to take the majority, which would give them the ability to block Trump’s judicial and executive nominations and otherwise provide a check on the administration. Democratic candidates across the country have repeatedly criticized Republicans in Congress for failing to provide a stiff enough check against the Trump administration’s trade and tariff agenda, especially against longstanding U.S. allies. “Susan Collins has completely failed to stop him,” her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, said in a social media post. “As always she’s got concerns about what these broad new tariffs will do to Maine, but she’s got no action.” Alaska also has a Senate seat up for grabs, where Republican Dan Sullivan is defending against former congresswoman Mary Peltola, whose campaign is anchored in part on issues related to fishing. The change means that less than one per cent of its exports to Canada will face tariffs, down from 20 per cent based on the initial tariff list, dropping it to the least exposed of all 50 U.S. states, according to Bloomberg calculations. Canada removes U.S. seafood from counter-tariffs, citing feedbackWhat’s in Nova Scotia’s new three-year plan for its $2.2 billion seafood industry? In replacement for removing fish and seafood products, new tariffs on U.S. copper wire, wood charcoal and several other items — covering $1 billion of imports into Canada — were added to the list by the Canadian finance ministry . Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, has called the trade war with Canada “foolish,” writing on X that it would “create more uncertainty for Maine businesses, push costs even higher for Maine families, and further strain our bond with our closest trading partner.” —With assistance from Demetrios Pogkas. Bloomberg.com
Maine, Alaska catch economic break as Canada drops fisheries tariffs
