Tim Houston appears on Fox to make case against Trump tariffs
N.S. premier interviewed on American cable TV network during visit to New York City
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston took to American cable TV on Thursday to make the case for resolving the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada.
Houston was interviewed by Liz Claman on The Claman Countdown, a Fox Business show that airs on weekday afternoons.
Houston refuted President Donald Trump's claim that the U.S. doesn't need Canada. He painted a contrasting picture of two mutually dependent nations that are inextricably linked through commerce and familial ties.
"All the talk about the 51st state and just the fact that they put tariffs on Canada — it feels like our best friend punched us in the nose," said Houston.
Catherine Klimek, Houston's press secretary, told CBC News that the premier's office pitched the interview to the TV network. She said the hope was to deliver the premier's message directly to Americans.
"Canadians know this trade war is unnecessary and harmful to both countries," she said in an email. "Americans deserve to know our position and why this is hurting both of our economies"
His message for an American audience was softer than the one he delivered to Canadians earlier this month when Trump briefly imposed 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods.
Houston then called Trump "a short-sighted man who wields his power just for the sake of it."
In the seven-minute interview on Fox, Houston didn't once say Trump's name. The closest he came was in saying, "This isn't a beef between Americans and Canadians or vice versa. It's really about one person."
Claman framed the interview around a meeting that happened the same day between Ontario Premier Doug Ford, federal officials and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
She asked Houston what message he would deliver to Lutnick if he had been in the meeting.
"Remove the tariffs. Let's work together to build a strong North American fortress that can really go after the real … culprits outside of us," said Houston, not naming who the real culprits are.
"The tariffs are just creating turmoil. Look at the markets … the tension is very high and it's so unnecessary."
Houston is stateside this week while the Nova Scotia legislature is on pause for spring break. The government billed the trip as a promotional tour.
A government spokesperson said that while Houston was in New York — where he did the Fox News interview — he met with Bob Rae, the Canadian ambassador to the United Nations. He also met with representatives from the companies Virtusa, Axis Capital and Amzak.
Virtusa is an international engineering firm with an office in Halifax and Axis Capital is an insurance company with an office in Halifax and headquarters in Bermuda – where Houston lived and worked as an accountant for many years. Amzak Health is an investment firm that recently invested, alongside Invest Nova Scotia, in a Canadian medical device company.
Houston is scheduled to attend a seafood conference in Boston in the coming days.
Fisheries Minister Kent Smith, who is also attending the conference, told reporters last week that it's among the biggest seafood trade shows in the world. He said despite it taking place in the U.S., the Nova Scotia delegation will be looking for international buyers to lighten Nova Scotia's reliance on the U.S. market.
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