'Cruel' tariff threats bring endless uncertainty to N.B. fisheries
Constantly changing deadline is destabilizing, says Lobster Council of Canada
Leaders in New Brunswick's fishing industry are not mincing words when it comes to the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the constant back and forth of tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Oh, it's painful. It's painful," said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, in an interview with CBC Radio's Shift, just minutes after Trump delayed tariffs on Canada for a second time.
"It's almost worse with the tariffs being on the back and forth and the up and down. It's very difficult for businesses to deal with this," Irvine said.
The latest date for tariffs to take effect, now set for April 2, coincides with the opening of lobster season in some sectors of the Atlantic region, but that's about all Irvine could say for certain about the potential impact.
"Honestly, I don't have a clue. Every single processor, shipper and exporter will have to talk to their customers."
He said the constantly changing news is destabilizing.
"It's very painful. And think about the harvesters who have to buy bait and plan for their fishing season — without knowing what the biggest market is going to pay for their products."
Despite recently embarking on a trade mission to Europe to explore diversifying Canadian markets for lobster, the U.S. remains a major partner.
Out of about $3 billion worth of Canadian lobster exported last year, Irvine said 55 per cent is frozen, out of which 75 per cent goes to the United States, which puts the province at more risk.
"It's sort of pandemic-level worry and uncertainty. And it's cruel. It's cruel, and it's not okay," Irvine said.
The rest of the exported Canadian lobster is live, with 40 per cent of that going to the U.S., 40 per cent to China, and the rest elsewhere, he said.
"People understand that we're dealing in an international protein market and things happen. But this from our best customer, our best ally and neighbour, is really cruel and unusual."
'No one has a crystal ball,' MP says
Lobster is far from the only fishery affected.
Speaking at an event announcing federal funding for shrimp processors on the Acadian Peninsula to diversify into the redfish industry, Bathurst-Acadie MP Serge Cormier acknowledged that tariffs were likely on everyone's mind.
"No one has a crystal ball, no one, we don't know," Cormier said in French, referring to the uncertainty.
Cormier said he was part of a recent mission to Washington, D.C., to meet with politicians to explain the severity of the proposed tariffs and how inter-connected U.S. and Canadian fishery producers and buyers are.
"I think that it opened the eyes of many people, and I encourage you to do it, too," Cormier told the crowd, which included many fishing industry leaders from the region.
"I encourage you to contact your customers, your suppliers that you have, your associations that you do business with, to make them aware of how damaging these tariffs will not only be for Canada, but will be damaging for them."
Speaking to a reporter, Cormier said that if tariffs do come down, "all kinds of options are on the table" from the federal government, in terms of supporting workers in the fisheries, including possible changes to Employment Insurance benefits.
The snow crab fishery is also close to opening in the waters of northeastern New Brunswick.
Joël Gionet, president of the Association des crabiers acadiens, said his industry has been closely watching tariff developments.
"If the price of crab increases by 25 per cent on the markets, what will the consumer do? He might switch to other products," Gionet said in French.
"I spoke to a few buyers and it's the same, they don't know. They are waiting to meet their buyers to see how it will work."
Despite tariff threats, Gionet said the snow crab market is strong in the United States this year because of the low Canadian dollar and prices that have increased about 50 per cent in the past year.
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With files from shift, Babatundé Lawani, Pascal Raiche-Nogue, Radio-Canada