HALIFAX — Maine's governor is heading to the Maritimes next week with hopes a charm offensive will slow the rapid drop in Canadian tourist visits to her state.
In a release issued Friday, Janet Mills says she's aware the historically close relationship between New England and its northern neighbours has been challenged by U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs and his rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state.
According to U.S. federal border crossing data released Friday, 85,000 fewer Canadians entered Maine in May than in the same month a year ago, a drop of about 27 per cent.
The governor says she will spend three days meeting with premiers, appearing in local media and visiting businesses in hope of sending a message that Maritimers remain "welcome in Maine" despite Trump's trade policies.
On Monday, the governor will stop in Saint John, N.B., where she intends to visit businesses with links to Maine and she then will travel to Fredericton to hold talks with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt.
On Wednesday, Mills will meet with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston in Halifax and tour a marine technology centre.
Last month, the governor unveiled new, bilingual signs welcoming Canadian visitors, which are being placed in windows around the state.
On June 13, in her weekly radio address, Mills said she wants to ensure the "historic friendship and deeply intertwined economies last for generations to come."
"It's not just our economies – we are connected so deeply by mutual economic advantages and on centuries-old familial, cuisine, language, and cultural bonds that far supersede politics," she told her listeners, reminding them that Canada is the United States' closest and most important trading partner.
The Democratic Party member said Trump's "roller coaster tariffs" are unsettling business in her state and "making our Canadian neighbors feel unwelcome in the United States."
In 2024, nearly 800,000 Canadian visitors spent approximately US$498 million in Maine, according to the state's Office of Tourism.
Overall, the data showed Maine welcomed 14.8 million visitors, who spent more than US$9.2 billion, supporting 115,900 jobs and generating US$5.4 billion in wages.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
The Canadian Press
