N.B. moves to bar U.S. goods from major provincial contracts amid trade war

Posted September 10, 2026 2:54 pm

Updated September 10, 2026 2:57 pm

3 min read

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt announced new measures to “help mitigate” the latest rounds of U.S. tariffs, including a move to prohibit the procurement of American goods or services for provincial contracts over $5 million beginning Oct. 1.

Holt also said she’s ordered the province’s public sector to review its supply chains and choose New Brunswick or Canadian products when possible.

“This will apply even to companies that may be in Canada that are supplying U.S. products,” Holt told reporters Thursday.

“We’re looking to them to replace those products as well because we don’t want those U.S. services or goods in the province, as well as our previous exemption on or exclusion of U.S. companies.”

U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up retaliation this week after Canada imposed a new set of duties on the U.S. Those counter-tariffs followed the U.S. imposing 50 per cent tariffs on some Canadian goods in August.

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Trump signed executive orders Tuesday banning the import of certain Canadian goods, including most alcoholic beverages, some dairy products and motorcycles.

“We are clearly in a trade war and a very challenging situation where New Brunswick businesses have been directly impacted by the actions of Trump. And Canada is responding in the best way possible to advance our interests,” said Holt.

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“I think we’ve seen by the U.S.’s reaction that . . . they need to see the strength of the Canadian economy and they’ll recognize that there’s a lot of products that Canada makes that the U.S. can’t live without.”

Holt said her government will also determine if it has the authority to prevent Americans from obtaining fishing and hunting licences, as well as mining claims.

She said while a small number of Americans would be affected by such a move, she called it a “negotiating tool” that creates a significant response among “significant and influential Americans.”

“It’s also about our resources in total because we do have mineral claims held by Americans and American companies and we want to make sure that New Brunswick’s resources are going to the benefit of New Brunswickers and (are put to) maximum use,” she said.

To help New Brunswickers and local businesses affected by the trade war, the province will offer compensation and training programs, and launch a market diversification strategy. The province will also launch a renewed “buy local” campaign.

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“Nobody should be having to pay more under this economic climate. And New Brunswick and the whole government is going to lean in and back these businesses in New Brunswick and back their employees to make sure that we can reduce that pressure as much as possible,” said Holt.

The provincial Crown corporation, NB Liquor, stopped selling U.S. alcohol in February 2025. The province also began a review of its procurement policies in the early days of the trade war.

Since then, Holt said the value of U.S. contracts has been reduced from $34.4 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year to $16.4 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The province says this represents a drop from 1.4 per cent to 0.7 per cent of the total value of government contracts awarded each year, which roughly amounts to $2 billion.

2:14 NB and NS urge businesses to buy Canadian amid new U.S. tariffs