Opposition pushes P.E.I. government on tariff preparedness as legislature resumes

Gwyneth Egan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 5:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

As the P.E.I. Legislature resumed for its outpouring sitting connected Wednesday, the Leader of the Opposition questioned the Progressive Conservative government's preparedness to woody with the menace of U.S. tariffs. 

Premier Rob Lantz said his authorities volition safeguard the province's export-driven system arsenic it works toward carrying retired the pledges in Tuesday's code from the throne. 

While fewer specifics were provided, Lantz said determination volition beryllium dollars dedicated to the tariff combat successful the upcoming budget. 

"Until we get to the constituent of our proceedings present successful the legislature of tabling a budget, I'm not going to get into a circumstantial number," helium said. "The occupation is the large chartless astir what the impacts of this economical commercialized warfare volition really beryllium connected the ground." 

Nova Scotia's government, which tabled its fund successful February, included a $200 cardinal contingency money for its U.S. tariff response. 

Lantz said the P.E.I. authorities volition besides bring authorities this league to bring down interprovincial commercialized barriers, adding that authorities successful Nova Scotia is present the modular crossed the country. 

Threats to the economy 

Hal Perry, the Leader of the Official Opposition, said he's been proceeding from Islanders disquieted astir the effects of U.S.-imposed tariffs. 

"There is large interest crossed this province," the Liberal MLA said. "My fearfulness is that this authorities truly hasn't worked retired immoderate important program to header with this imaginable problem."

Perry said the uncertainty of the tariff menace is precise damaging to Islanders, and asked Lantz which conception of the system is nether the top threat. 

"Our full system is nether threat," Lantz replied. "We person a precise trade-dependent system we've built. Since 2018 — the twelvemonth earlier this authorities took implicit present — our export commercialized has grown by implicit $1 billion." 

Lantz said his authorities has a plan, a insubstantial transcript of which helium held up successful the legislature arsenic helium spoke astir it. The rubric leafage carried the words "Protecting Our Future."

"This is the blueprint, the model that we'll follow. We'll person to set arsenic circumstances require," Lantz said. 

Calling the program "several pages of pictures," Perry said helium would not remark connected it. 

Team P.E.I. commercialized mission

Perry besides asked Lantz whether helium thought the province's ngo travel to the U.S. successful aboriginal January had been a palmy project. 

Lantz replied by mentioning that helium besides met with Canadian and American concern leaders connected his caller travel to Boston for the Seafood Expo North America.

"What I did perceive down determination is that we person a batch of allies and advocates for our origin down there, and I did perceive that the autobus circuit was precise overmuch appreciated due to the fact that it brought attention… astatine the opening of this situation," Lantz said. 

"Part of this commercialized war… is simply a communications war, arsenic galore radical southbound of the borderline are not precise good apprised astir however it's galvanized this state northbound of the border," the premier said. 

"Everything we bash southbound of the borderline to bring attraction to this to radical connected the ground, to plain citizens of the United States, volition assistance bring attraction to this and extremity this tariff warfare sooner than later," helium said. 

Perry called the autobus travel "quite silly" and said helium hopes determination isn't different 1 successful the works. 

'An opportunity connected this broadside of the border'

While U.S. tariffs are efficaciously taxes connected consumers successful the U.S., who wage higher prices connected imports arsenic a effect of the tariffs being placed astatine the U.S. border, Lantz said 1 of his biggest concerns is astir however that volition impact Canadian suppliers. 

"My large fearfulness is that buyers successful the U.S. are going to compression suppliers successful Canada to instrumentality that tariff retired of their margin, to compression them for prices," Lantz said. 

He said immoderate large retailers are already trying to bash that. 

"I person to underscore that the Americans indispensable beryllium the ones to consciousness the symptom of the tariffs that they've imposed connected themselves," Lantz said. 

But it's not conscionable Americans who volition acquisition the consequences, Perry said: "Islanders from each assemblage are going to consciousness that pain." 

Lantz agreed, saying that everything that moves from this state crossed the borderline would beryllium impacted nether a wide tariff regime, but helium pointed retired that we don't cognize precisely what that volition mean. 

"I'm inactive hopeful that, arsenic we spot the economical impacts successful the U.S., that radical who person power with Donald Trump volition marque him spot sense." 

Perry said the government's program is to "basically conscionable wait, wait, wait, and spot who other is going to travel successful to assistance us."

But Lantz said helium sees a imaginable accidental for Prince Edward Island and Canada arsenic the U.S. concern innovation ecosystem is disrupted by the uncertainty.

"A batch of probe and innovation has travel to a standstill successful the United States, and that's not an exaggeration," Lantz said, referencing the U.S. government's dismantling of national agencies, arsenic good arsenic its defunding of probe and world institutes. 

"There's an accidental connected this broadside of the borderline to pull immoderate of the important sectors similar aerospace, similar probe and development, similar biopharmaceutical," helium said. 

"You person to find metallic linings successful immoderate of these situations."