Healey and northeastern governors invite Canadian premiers to meeting amid tariff tensions

Gov. Maura Healey and five fellow northeastern governors extended an olive branch to Canadian premiers Monday as they seek to maintain trade relationships amid President Trump's tariff campaign.

The premiers from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Québec are invited to a gathering in Boston, Healey's office said.

Govs. Janet Mills of Maine, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, Kathy Hochul of New York, Dan McKee of Rhode Island and Phil Scott of Vermont signed onto the letter with Healey.

"While the international uproar over tariffs threatens to upend the economies of our respective communities, we write to reaffirm our friendship and unique interdependence," the letter says. "Ours is a cherished relationship that is founded not only on mutual financial advantages but also on centuries-old familial and cultural bonds that supersede politics."

The letter added, "As Governors of the Northeast, we want to keep open lines of communication and cooperation and identify avenues to overcome the hardship of these uninvited tariffs and help our economies endure."

The in-person convening will happen in "the coming weeks," according to the letter. Healey last fall co-hosted the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference at Boston University, where officials discussed regional collaboration to tackle climate change.

The invite came one day before Trump was set to meet newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House on Tuesday.

The Trump administration has imposed a 25% tariff on most Canadian goods. Canada responded by imposing a 25% tariff on certain U.S. goods.

Healey and Mills called Canada their states' top trading partner. There was more than $6 billion in cross-border commerce between Maine and Canada last year, Mills said.

"Our economies and our cultures have enjoyed strong relationships for generations, which is now strained by the president’s haphazard tariffs and harmful rhetoric targeting our northern neighbors," Mills said.

Hochul said New York and Canada have a $50 billion "trade relationship."

"It’s more important than ever that governors work together to protect their states from these costs, which is why I’m working with Governor Healey and our colleagues across the nation on a path forward that helps our economy," Hochul said.