Nunavut premier welcomes pause on U.S. tariff plan, sees opportunity for territory

Nunavut's premier says he's pleased that U.S President Donald Trump has put a 30-day pause on his promised tariffs on Canadian goods, saying his territory would be hit hard by an international trade war.

And Premier P.J. Akeeagok also said that Trump's threatened tariffs should prompt Canada to focus more on developing Northern resources.

"There's really important discussions to be had," Akeeagok said Monday afternoon, of the 30-day pause on Trump's tariff plan, though he acknowledged "it's to be determined whether that's enough [time]."

Speaking earlier on Monday, Akeeagok highlighted his territory's vulnerability to any rise in the cost of goods. A trade war with the U.S. could be "devastating" for Nunavut, he said.

"Everything's flown up here," he said.

"We already have the highest cost of living here. We already have a lot of challenges in terms of construction, among other things. So these tariffs will have a direct impact to the way of life and the high cost of living that we already see."

Akeeagok said that he was standing firmly with the other premiers and the prime minister as "Team Canada," and that his government was working hard to prepare for the tariffs that were originally to come into effect on Tuesday, including by removing American alcohol from store shelves in the territory.

"I come from a small community where really there's very limited resources, where I grew up in Grise Fiord. But it was always the resilience of the community that pulls together."

Akeeagok also pointed to "potential opportunities" to build a stronger economy in Nunavut and Canada, by developing more northern resources such a critical minerals, or the Arctic char or turbot fisheries.   

"There's so much that we could do, but it requires investments to tap that huge potential we have," he said.

"We must shift to that to ensure that we diversify not only the Canadian market, but the opportunities that are so abundant here in Nunavut."