P.E.I.’s Liberal Party is calling on the government to reconvene the legislative assembly as soon as possible to debate the province’s tariff response.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday afternoon that U.S. President Donald Trump will hold off levying 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods for at least 30 days after Ottawa made a series of commitments to improve security along the border.
“It’s all about planning,” said Hal Perry, the interim leader of the P.E.I. Liberals.
“I have no indication, and there has been no indication from this premier or this government that they have any plans to mitigate these imposing tariffs and how it’s going to impact Islanders and Island businesses.”
Many people across the country are closely watching the tariff tensions between Canada and the United States. CBC’s Connor Lamont went to Royalty Crossing mall in Charlottetown to find out how shoppers are feeling about it all.
Perry asked Speaker Darlene Compton to bring MLAs back to the legislature Feb. 11 rather than wait until the end of the month as scheduled. Neither Perry nor CBC News received a response from the Speaker’s office about the request as of Monday evening.
Premier Dennis King did, however, post on social media late Monday evening that his government would also pause its retaliation plan in response to the 30-day reprieve.
“This decision creates space for important discussions to find a solution that protects jobs, businesses, and industries in PEI and across Canada,” the post reads.
Before the announcement was made about the tariff pause on Monday, King had said the province would look at any contracts it has with U.S.-based businesses — including its controversial deal with the National Hockey League — to see if it can shift business to Canadian companies.
That came after King announced in a news release Sunday that all American wine, beer and spirits would be pulled from provincial liquor store shelves by Tuesday.
Welcome reprieve for businesses
For the time being, some P.E.I. industries said the news of the tariff pause is welcome.
“Our approach to this point is sort of stay calm, you know, and not get too excited,” said Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board.
If tariffs do end up on Island potatoes, the cost will have to be pushed on to customers and ultimately to consumers, Donald said.
More than half of the province’s annual 2.5 billion pounds of potatoes end up in the U.S., amounting to an economic impact of $1.35 billion, the P.E.I. Potato Board said.
