Cancel NHL deal and spend more on bringing Canadian tourists to P.E.I., Opposition tells province

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 6:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

P.E.I.'s Opposition person continued to unit the authorities Wednesday astir the wealth it's spending to pull visitors from the United States, taking a caller tack connected getting the state to scrap its arguable declaration with the National Hockey League. 

The governing Progressive Conservatives' multimillion-dollar woody with the NHL saw P.E.I. branded arsenic the league's authoritative question destination. It has travel nether occurrence from the Liberals, peculiarly arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump wages a commercialized warfare with Canada and galore different countries.  

During question play successful the legislature, interim Liberal Leader Hal Perry asked Tourism Minister Zack Bell if the authorities would see cancelling the declaration successful bid to displacement much tourism dollars into encouraging Canadians to question to the Island. 

Bell didn't reply that question directly, but said the state is ever trying to grow its scope erstwhile it comes to drafting successful caller visitors, including Americans.  

"If we tin archer those radical who we are, astatine slightest fto them beryllium introduced to what we are, past hopefully they'll take P.E.I. and walk their wealth here," Bell said. 

WATCH | More questions successful the legislature astir however P.E.I. volition respond to the menace of U.S. tariffs:

Shortly aft that, Premier Rob Lantz besides jumped successful to reply, calling Perry "anti-American" due to the fact that of his questions.

"We don't person to spell down there, but I americium gladsome to invited Americans present to walk their money," Lantz said. 

"I besides privation to constituent retired that the NHL declaration is simply a signed declaration with a Canadian institution that employs hundreds of employees close present successful Canada." 

No much details on tariff response

The P.E.I. authorities has said for weeks that it is reviewing its database of contracts with U.S. companies. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Jill Burridge said "the database is small," totalling astir $4.5 cardinal successful spending.

While the NHL has a Canadian subsidiary, the league's caput bureau is successful New York. Several P.E.I. furniture ministers were fixed a circuit determination successful 2023 successful the leadup to the Dennis King authorities signing the woody with the league.

Later Wednesday afternoon, Trump announced sweeping tariffs connected the goods it imports from respective countries, a determination that could origin seismic shifts successful the global economy. 

The continued commercialized warfare menace has spurred buy-local movements present astatine home, and has led galore Canadians to question their purchases and investments successful American products and companies. 

The Lantz authorities has been criticized for not providing much item successful presumption of however it volition respond to the menace of U.S. tariffs and enactment Island industries.

The authorities has promised authorities to trim commercialized barriers with different provinces and a contingency money successful its caller operating fund to enactment affected industries. There were nary details offered Wednesday astir however it mightiness each work. 

Neither Lantz nor Economic Development Minister Darlene Compton would hold to an interrogation astir the tariff effect program Wednesday successful beforehand of Trump's announcement. 

WATCH | What P.E.I. gains from that arguable NHL promotional deal:

Perry said he's "shocked and saddened" that the state continues to marque investments successful the U.S. successful the look of a major commercialized dispute, and continued to telephone for details connected however the state plans to enactment industries that suffer.

On Tuesday, the Liberals enactment guardant a question calling for the province, the national authorities and manufacture leaders to make a "strong response" to the tariff threat.

"We request to springiness the businesses, the fishermen, the farmers and each residents of Prince Edward Island the assurance that this authorities has their back, and to day I don't consciousness that," Perry said arsenic helium spoke to the motion.