Houston in Spain, United Kingdom on seafood trade missions

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

The Nova Scotia government is trying to strengthen international trade partners in light of the United States’ tariffs, which are impacting provincial economic uncertainty.

This week, Premier Tim Houston and Kent Smith, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, are in Spain and then the United Kingdom for events around the industry. From May 5 to 10, the pair will be promoting Nova Scotia’s seafood in Barcelona and discussing defence and security, before going to London for meetings.

“Leaders and the business community from other countries repeatedly tell me how highly they think of our province, people and products,” said Houston. “We want to strengthen that partnership as well as explore additional opportunities to do more trade with them. Nova Scotia has a lot to offer, and we’re making sure the world knows it.”

One of the events in Spain is the Seafood Expo Global, the largest international event for the sector that attracts professionals and buyers at all points in the supply chain. Houston will then be a keynote speaker at the annual general meeting of the Canada-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, continuing to firm up ties between the province and the U.K.

Related:

• ‘A lot of uncertainty’ for Nova Scotia fishers amid trade war with U.S.
• Canada inks broad free-trade deal with European Union
• Houston heads back to U.S. to talk trade, tariffs

“The European market represents a great opportunity to grow Nova Scotia’s seafood industry,” Smith said in the press release. “By promoting our premium-quality seafood, we are helping our companies expand internationally, driving economic growth and securing a sustainable future for our coastal communities.”

Nova Scotia diversifying trade partners

The province has been eyeing the ties between partners in Europe more since the ongoing issues with the United States and the country.

The President Donald Trump administration’s move to implement tariffs on Canada has started prompting concerns from Canadians. The ramifications of such a move have slowly started to appear across markets.

Although the U.S. is a huge trading partner with Canada, in Nova Scotia, the southern neighbours represents a smaller portion of trade than other countries. However, the government has emphasized diversifying in response to tariffs and keeping the industry secure.

Last year, the province was the country’s largest seafood exporter with the largest destination the U.S.  ($1.2 billion), China, South Korea, Japan and France, a press release notes. Exports to the EU were smaller, with Spain ($31.9 million) making one of the top five spots.