Gov. Janet Mills returned to Maine on Thursday after a three-day trip to Canada that was part of her larger campaign to encourage its citizens to come to the state despite comments by President Donald Trump that have kept many away.
Mills traveled from Nova Scotia to Bar Harbor around midday Thursday on the CAT ferry, and then visited shops and restaurants in the town’s central village to hand out window display signs welcoming Canadians to Maine.
She spoke with members of the press at Cafe This Way, mostly about the long history of friendly relations between the two countries. She made only passing direct references to Trump, citing his “dangerous rhetoric” in calling Canada the “51st state.” But Mill said she understands why Canadian residents and officials have bridled at the president’s remarks, including his threats and efforts to impose steep tariffs on certain Canadian goods.
“I understand the offense that they took” to Trump’s comments, she said. “Regardless of what goes on in [Washington] D.C., it’s really important that our state have good relations with these provinces.”
Mills herself has repeatedly criticized Trump. She has feuded with him consistently since February, when she was among a group of governors who were invited to the White House and Trump called her out and threatened to cut federal funding for Maine because the state allows transgender student athletes to participate in school sports.
Mills’ response to Trump at the White House was “See you in court.”
Since then, Trump administration officials have repeatedly targeted federally funded programs in Maine — with mixed success — for elimination.
But despite Mills’ encouragement to Canadians, at least one of her counterparts in Canada, while receptive to her visit, this week expressed reservations about encouraging its citizens to cross the border.
“I think our prime minister said it well when he said the relationship is fundamentally changed,” Susan Holt, New Brunswick’s premier, said Tuesday while meeting with Mills in Fredericton. “You don’t bounce back from that overnight. Things will have to change significantly in the U.S. for us to feel good about choosing to go spend our money there right now.”
Mills said some Canadians may worry that it is not safe to visit the U.S., but she assured them that it is. She said she saw a picture at a press event in Canada that showed a car burning in Los Angeles in May.
“That’s why Canadians shouldn’t come to Maine? I mean, seriously?” Mills said. “That’s pretty exaggerated — certainly no reason to avoid coming to Maine.”
