Newfoundland Premier Warns of Trump’s Economic Threats to Canada

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Outgoing Premier Andrew Furey of Newfoundland and Labrador urged Canadians to recognize the serious implications of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s economic threats, citing historical parallels in a recent interview. Furey emphasized the importance of being vigilant against what he describes as Trump’s ‘imperialist’ ambitions.

Furey asserted that Trump is orchestrating an economic attack on Canada aimed at creating chaos and instability. ‘In Newfoundland and Labrador, we know that all too well,’ he said. ‘It was the economic forces, not the military forces, that caused us to lose our independence and choose to join Canada.’

The premier pointed to the fluctuation of tariffs that have frustrated Canadians for months, specifically noting that Trump has imposed a 25 percent tariff on most Canadian goods while temporarily relieving duties on certain items linked to the auto industry and reducing potash levies to 10 percent. Currently, energy shipments from Canada to the U.S. face 10 percent duties.

Trump has maintained a pattern of referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as ‘Governor Justin Trudeau’ and has threatened to use economic pressure to force Canada into what some interpret as a form of annexation. ‘He has shown by his threats that he has an expansive agenda, a territorial agenda, and that feeds an imperialist approach,’ Furey added.

Jeff Webb, a history professor at Memorial University, emphasized that while economic circumstances heavily influenced Newfoundland’s decision to join Canada in 1949, it was not an act of coercion. Newfoundland had been a self-governing dominion of the British Empire until 1933, when it faced severe financial difficulties, leading to the establishment of a British-appointed commission to govern the province.

Webb remarked, ‘We didn’t get arm-twisted into this. It’s incredibly different from what we’re getting now. And what we’re getting now is crazy, nonsensical bullying.’

Historian Sean Cadigan noted that some economic hardships faced by Newfoundland prior to joining Canada were exacerbated by tariffs imposed on foreign goods, compounding the region’s difficulties. ‘The lessons that I’ve learned from protectionism is that it just hurts a lot of people, especially rural people,’ Cadigan stated, highlighting the impact of tariffs on social and economic divides.

Blayne Haggart, an associate political science professor at Brock University, agrees that the U.S. is acting in an imperial manner under Trump’s administration. He expressed concern that Canada needs to seriously contemplate its response to these threats. ‘I think we’re taking the threat of the tariffs seriously,’ Haggart said. ‘But what comes next? I don’t know yet if Canadians, and particularly our political leaders, fully understand what it means to chart a separate course from the United States.’

Haggart suggested this could involve major shifts, such as enhancing military capabilities, reducing reliance on U.S. regulatory processes for critical sectors, and improving domestic infrastructure amid staffing changes in NOAA under Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency.

Despite the urgent tone from experts and leaders like Furey, Haggart lamented the lack of proactive discussions from the current government, particularly with an impending federal election. ‘I’m 52 years old. This is the worst crisis that Canada has faced in my lifetime,’ he said. ‘It’s been disappointing to me that the federal leadership vacuum was allowed to persist for so long.’

This report by The Canadian Press was published March 6, 2025.