‘History will judge him’: Houston takes aim at Trump over tariffs

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

Nova Scotia’s premier did not mince words on Wednesday as he spoke out against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

“Canadians are a kind people, but we have limits and in the face of President Trump’s insults, spin and now tariffs, we’ve reached our limit,” Houston told reporters in Halifax. “We are angry, hurt and feeling betrayed by a friend and neighbour.”

The premier, who has spent several days in Washington in recent weeks amid the tariff threat, says he believes the economic attack “makes no sense” to many in the United States.

“American elected officials are quietly shaking their heads,” Houston said. “American business leaders are also shaking their heads, but a little less quietly, thankfully. The world needs Americans to step up right now, because it is clear that we cannot count on their disruptive leader.”

Supports for Nova Scotia

The premier says government is continuing to work to determine the best way to support Nova Scotians. The recent provincial budget set aside $200 million to be used as needed if tariffs have an impact on the Nova Scotia economy.

“What those supports will look like will be determined over the coming days in conjunction with the federal government, but we’re looking at options like EI top-ups, like buying goods from cancelled projects and re-training options for workers,” Houston said.

The premier added the volatility from the U.S. administration is making it more difficult to plan supports, given uncertainty about how long tariffs could be in place.