Higgs's softwood lumber pitch falls on indifferent ears in U.S.
Premier went to meeting of U.S. governors to gather support for easing tariffs
Softwood lumber was on Premier Blaine Higgs's mind when he travelled to Washington for the National Governors Association meeting over the weekend, but he found others had little interest in talking about the issue.
"Softwood lumber wasn't something that was being discussed a lot," Higgs told reporters when he landed at the Fredericton airport on Monday after three days in the U.S. capital.
The winter meeting of the governors takes place with hundreds of guests, including leaders from business, non-profits and governments around the world.
Before Higgs left for the meeting, he said he would be willing to give way on the province's forestry policy to help ease some of the punishing tariffs on softwood lumber coming from New Brunswick.
New Brunswick was the only Atlantic province not exempt from softwood lumber tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Support closer to home
While softwood lumber tariffs were not high on the radar of most people at the Washington meeting, the New England governors were more receptive to the province's plight, Higgs said.
He singled out Janet Mills, the Democratic governor of Maine, who assumed office after last year's mid-term elections.
"She recognizes the sensitivities on both sides of the border," said Higgs.
He said the lumber industry in Maine and New Brunswick are heavily integrated and there's a lot of trade between them.
"We as Atlantic Canada, and the eastern U.S., you know kind of always had a market and a business here that needs to be protected."
National focus needed
Higgs said he felt the issue has now been raised but he wished Canadians at the Washington meetings had come up with a more national focus for the issue.
"I think B.C. has the large portion of the business, and so it's getting more of a focus and we're being drug into it," said Higgs.
In Washington, Higgs planned to meet with David Wilkins, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada and now a lobbyist being paid $40,000 a month by the province to lobby the Trump administration on softwood lumber tariffs.
Higgs said he would decide after meeting with Wilkins whether the province would keep him on, but after returning didn't commit to Wilkins one way or the other.
"[Wilkins] was very helpful, he gave me good information," Higgs said.
"He offered obviously to continue his assistance in that regard. I said 'We'll talk more about that.'"
With files from Michel Corriveau and Radio-Canada.