Maine governor brings charm offensive to N.B. to win back Canadian tourism

FREDERICTON — On a visit to New Brunswick, the governor of Maine issued renewed pleas for Canadian tourists to return to the United States, despite their apparent anger over the political climate.

Janet Mills is on a three-day charm offensive to Canada where she is scheduled to meet with premiers of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and try to convince people to choose Maine when they’re thinking of their summer vacation.

Since his election as president in November, Donald Trump has said several times that he wants to make Canada the “51st state” and that he would use economic force to achieve it. He has imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, including on steel and aluminum.

Mills said Trump’s words are not reflective of the American people.

“When he spoke so negatively about Canada as being the 51st state, I was appalled. So many of us were appalled,” she told a group — that included Premier Susan Holt and other leaders — at Fredericton’s Cyber Centre on Tuesday.

“And I can understand the heartfelt angst and insult, offence the Canadian people had must have felt and must continue to feel.”

Following Trump’s rhetoric, several Canadians have chosen to spend their vacations in Canada, rather than crossing the border.

Numbers released by the U.S. federal border crossing on Friday showed 85,000 fewer Canadians entered Maine in May than in the same month a year ago, a drop of about 27 per cent.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said last week states such as Maine, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont have seen a drop in Canadian tourism between 20 and 60 per cent compared with last year.

“This season is difficult for tourism on my side of the border,” Mills told reporters. “I want to encourage tourism, I want to encourage Maine people to come to New Brunswick as well. So that’s why I’m here, to encourage the ebb and flow of the back and forth of tourists and our economic success and our dollars.”

She said she understands how insulted Canadians must feel but added there are small businesses across the border in Maine whose families come from parts of Canada, including New Brunswick and Quebec, who are being hit hard.

Adding to Maine’s tourism troubles are stories of Canadians being mistreated at the border by officials.

During a question-and-answer session during the group meeting, one of the audience members, David Dennis, told Mills why he and his wife were choosing not to go to Maine this year for vacation.

His wife, who is from Venezuela but is a Canadian citizen now, had been following the news of targeted deportations of Venezuelans by Trump, he said.

When she told Dennis she did not want to go to the U.S., he said he told her that her “blue Canadian passport” would keep her safe.

Soon after, he said they saw the story about Jasmine Mooney of Vancouver, who was detained for about 12 days when she tried to cross the border near San Diego, Calif.

“She pointed to the picture and said, ‘look, a blond Canadian white woman for two weeks was in detention. And I’m not going to the States this year, nor will I be going to the States for the coming years,'” he said.

Mills said she understands how his wife feels.

“I don’t want people to feel unsafe or afraid to come to my state,” she said.

“We have 13 border crossings, and they have always been the safest places in the world to cross an international border.”

New Brunswick’s Holt said some of the videos showing American immigration officials detaining people are “disturbing,” adding she appreciates everything Mills’s office is doing to pushback against Trump’s policies that are damaging to Canada.

“I think New Brunswickers are happy to welcome Americans for now, but things will have to change significantly in the United States for us to feel comfortable enough to choose to spend our money there,” she said.

“So the big picture is that tourism is not something that we can collaborate on right now.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.

The Canadian Press