**Canada Removes Proposed Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Seafood After Industry Pushback**
*Ottawa –* The Canadian federal government announced on Thursday that it is withdrawing seafood and fish products from its list of retaliatory tariffs imposed earlier this week in response to U.S. trade measures. The decision follows intense lobbying by seafood processors and industry groups in Atlantic Canada, who warned that the tariffs would disrupt supply chains and raise costs for both producers and consumers.
**Background**
In early March, the United States announced a 50 percent tariff on approximately $28 billion of Canadian goods, prompting Ottawa to introduce a series of counter‑tariffs aimed at “strategic and targeted” American products. Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the measures were intended both to protect Canadian industries affected by U.S. duties and to apply political pressure on key U.S. states.
Among the initial counter‑tariffs were duties on seafood and lobster imported from the U.S. state of Maine, a major supplier to New Brunswick’s processing plants. The tariffs were expected to take effect on 8 September and would have imposed a 25 percent duty on a portion of Maine’s lobster exports to Canada.
**Industry response**
Within 48 hours of the announcement, representatives from the Atlantic seafood sector convened calls with provincial premiers and federal cabinet ministers. A letter obtained by *Brunswick News*—signed by a dozen regional groups across the four Atlantic provinces—was sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney, outlining concerns that the tariffs could lead to higher food prices, threaten the viability of Canadian seafood producers, and trigger retaliatory actions from the United States.
“The result will be higher food costs for Canadians, higher risks for Canadian seafood producers, and potential catastrophic economic impacts on the sector,” the letter read.
Nat Richard, executive director of the Lobster Processors Association, told reporters that the industry was “pretty stunned” by the tariff announcement and that there had been no prior consultation. He explained that Canadian processors rely on U.S. lobster during the off‑season, noting that “the rest of the year we do have gaps when there’s no fishing in Canada, and the way the industry’s structured, the fishing effort is quite complementary.” Richard warned that without access to U.S. lobster, processing plants could be forced to close prematurely.
Joel Richardson, spokesperson for Cooke Aquaculture—a multinational seafood company headquartered in Saint John—said the company was “exceptionally grateful” for the reversal, adding that the firm employs roughly 2,500 people in the region. “The United States buys six times more seafood from Atlantic Canada than we buy from them, and it is important, in our view, as a company that does business on both sides of the border, to focus on growth,” he said.
**Government statements**
Premier Susan Holt of New Brunswick acknowledged that the original tariffs would have “a significant impact on the seafood industry,” but defended the move as a matter of “sovereignty.” In a statement released after the reversal, Holt said she was “pleased the Carney government listened to industry and acted quickly to remove seafood from the retaliatory tariff list.”
Finance Minister François‑Philippe Champagne, speaking at a news conference in Toronto, said the government had “listened to concerns” and that the update was “the right thing to do in the interest of Canada.” He added that Canada does not want any escalation in the trade dispute but must respond to “damaging U.S. tariffs.”
While the seafood duties
Article and image source: tj.news
