By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte is leading a New Hampshire delegation to Canada this week to talk up business connections between the neighboring provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia and the Granite State.
She is in Nova Scotia and will be in Quebec on Wednesday and Thursday.
A breakfast was held Tuesday in the port city of Halifax and businesses in attendance represented the advanced manufacturing, health care, technology, and shipping industries. There have been other meetings during the visit with a focus on collaborative efforts in business.
This is among a number of initiatives that have New Hampshire Democrats and Republicans reaching out to Canada reminding officials of their importance despite the national outcry in Canada and effective travel boycott to the United States which is due to Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state.
Canada is New Hampshire’s largest source of imports—about $1.95 billion—and its second-largest export destination at roughly $1.2 billion. The trade relationship totals about $3.15 billion.
Roughly 70 percent of the natural gas New Hampshire relies on and most of the heating oil come from Canadian supply. Canadian visitors contribute $150 million–$200 million a year to the state’s economy.
Due to tensions over tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration, that travel is already down about 40 percent this year due to political tensions.
The first term Republican governor attended the first “New Hampshire Breakfast” in Halifax which was sponsored by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire.
She was joined by BIA President Michael Skelton, New Hampshire Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell, and Senator Tim McGough, R-Merrimack, who is chair of the New Hampshire Canadian Trade Council, Andrea Hechavarria, President of New Hampshire Life Sciences, among others.
They met on Monday with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and Deputy Premier Barbara Adams, U.S. Consul General in Halifax Viki Limaye, Halifax Partnership President & CEO Wendy Luther, Invest Nova Scotia Investment Principal Lara Skwarek, Life Sciences Nova Scotia VP Business Development and Strategy Krista Bezanson, The Labs at Invest NS Properties and Incubation Manager Tim Reilly among others.
The aim of the trip is to foster continued economic collaboration.
“New Hampshire and Canada share a longstanding friendship, and our mission is aimed at strengthening economic and tourism partnerships that have created so much opportunity on both sides of our border,” said Ayotte in a press statement.
“I was glad to begin our meetings in Nova Scotia and share our message that New Hampshire is open for business to our Canadian partners.”
“This mission to Nova Scotia reinforces the value of strong regional partnerships,” said Commissioner Taylor Caswell, New Hampshire of Business and Economic Affairs. “From discussions on life sciences to advanced manufacturing, we’re seeing mutual opportunities for alignment and economic development that would benefit all involved. These meetings strengthen the desire for collaboration in trade, investment, and workforce development.”
Earlier this summer, Democratic New Hampshire Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, Senator Donovan Fenton, D-Keene the Peterborough Selectboard, and Dan Grosz and others held a Friendship & Solidarity Caravan with Canadian counterparts primarily from Quebec.
On Tuesday, Liot Hill said “I think many folks in New Hampshire want to alleviate some of the tension between Canada and the United States and extend a warm invitation for Canadians to continue seeing us as neighbors, friends, and trusted trade partners.”
She emailed her remarks from that event noting that “we aren’t just neighbors; we are a community joined by a river and by history.
“The newly announced 30 percent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports would be an economic shock. The analysis estimates $400 million–$600 million in added annual costs for New Hampshire families and businesses, and a projected $31 million–$51 million annual hit to state revenues—pressure that reaches classrooms, transportation, and local services.
“Those numbers translate into very human impacts: higher winter heating bills, pricier building materials for homeowners and contractors, thinner margins for small businesses, and shorter seasons for hospitality. This means seniors having to decide whether to get groceries or to turn on the heat. This means waitresses ending their shifts with less money than they were counting on,” Liot Hill said.
Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield is attending the NH Canadian Trade Council reception Wednesday evening in Quebec.