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Mills reaffirms commitment to foreign trade partners amid tariff uncertainty
Jun. 9—Gov. Janet Mills reaffirmed Maine's commitment to its northern and European neighbors and to preserving the Arctic landscape in the face of climate change at an annual breakfast with business and trade leaders.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds at the Governor's International Breakfast on Monday, Mills emphasized the interconnectedness of trade and the environment, and she championed the importance of understanding and minimizing the worst effects of climate change.
The theme of Monday's breakfast was "Maine: Gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic." Speakers, including representatives of shipping logistics company Eimskip and the Maine International Trade Center, discussed Maine's role as a shipping and marine industry hub.
Mills said the actions of other nations working in the Arctic, including Canada and Maine's European trading partners, directly impact "our little state."
"And the actions of our little state affect the Arctic," she said.
Mills paid particular attention to Maine and Canada's "historic friendship and deeply intertwined economies," noting that the state took in billions of dollars' worth of goods last year, including high quantities of fuel and heating oil that rural Mainers rely on.
She highlighted a recent campaign to install signage welcoming Canadians at each of Maine's 13 border crossings. Canadian tourism is anticipated to drop by about a quarter this summer, as Canadians feel increasingly hesitant to visit in light of President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats to make their country the 51st state.
"While we can't fix this economic uncertainty coming from the nation's capital," Maine can show Canadians tourists that they are welcome, Mills said. "It's the least we can do."
Mills followed remarks by Bernadette Jordan, consul general of Canada in Boston, who thanked the governor for her "steadfast friendship."
The Arctic, including Canada's Arctic Archipelago, has been warming four times faster than the rest of the world, Jordan said. Meanwhile, the country's northwest passage could become the most efficient shipping route between Europe and East Asia, which would lead to increased international traffic, she said.
"The threats to our sovereignty are real when it comes to the North," she said, adding that Canada is pursuing intelligence-sharing agreements with other nations that include or do business in arctic territories.
At one point, Mills directed her remarks to a table of visiting students from Edward Little High School in Auburn, urging them to ask questions of their elected officials and to avoid isolationism when they grow old enough to vote. She said Maine has learned improved forest production and fishery techniques from officials and tradespeople in Finland and Iceland, citing these as examples of cross-cultural knowledge sharing that drives innovation at home.
Mills will join a handful of northeastern governors and a half-dozen Canadian premiers in Boston next week to discuss the impacts of tariffs and develop plans for ensuring cross-border trade continues.
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