On Maine's doorstep, residents of N.B.'s Campobello Island feel abandoned in time of trade crisis
Residents ask Canadian government to exempt them from tariffs
Valerie Mabey has lived on New Brunswick's Campobello Island most of her life, but these days, it isn't easy.
Islanders have become unwitting victims of U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to reshape the international trading system.
Cross-border relationships have frayed, and Canadians on this 14-kilometre-long outpost in the Bay of Fundy feel isolated and vulnerable.
"We don't have a gas station here. We don't have a bank here," Mabey said. "We're pretty isolated, and it's hard to try to drive an hour to get to your own country."
Because of geography, many of Campobello's 1,000 or so residents rely heavily on crossing the bridge into the nearest town — Lubec, Maine — for gas, groceries and necessities.
Residents are being charged 25 per cent tariffs on goods purchased in Maine when they cross back over onto Campobello Island. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
But residents are now being charged 25 per cent in Canadian tariffs on the U.S. goods they bring back over the border. And they're bracing for the impact of the U.S. tariffs slated to return April 2.
"I think we're sort of left out to fend for ourselves," Mabey said. "We are part of Canada, but nobody seems to recognize that.
"I don't think they understand. You have to live here to understand it."
Campobello Island residents caught in the middle of trade war Island living means commuting to Maine for daily essentials and driving an hour through the state to cross into Canada at St. Stephen to get health care or other government services.
In the summer months, a ferry runs from Campobello Island to Deer Island and then to the mainland.
'We're retaliating with tariffs on our own people'
Campobello Mayor Harvey Matthews has asked Ottawa for an exemption from the tariffs for residents. So far, he hasn't had any response.
"It's a little disheartening that your own country would do that to you," he said.
"Something needs to change because we're retaliating with tariffs on our own people. It just doesn't make sense. Not one bit. Not to me."
Campobello Mayor Harvey Matthews would like to see a tariff exemption for island residents. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
Premier Susan Holt said her government has also tried to get "those exemptions carved out" for residents of Campobello but without success.
"We want to see an exemption put in place," Holt said. "So we haven't had success with the federal government yet to get that … enacted, but we haven't stopped pushing them to do it."
The federal Finance Department, which is responsible for Canadian tariffs, did not agree to a CBC request for an interview.
Campobello store takes requests
In the meantime, Praveen Chindaluri is seeing a lot of new faces where he works at Campobello Value Foods.
He said some people are "not willing to cross the border because of these tensions going on," with border agents sometimes "checking each and every thing in the car" to impose tariffs on larger shopping runs.
Praveen
Chindaluri says the Campobello Value Foods is doing what it can to
bring in more products so people don't have to rely on cross-border
shopping. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
The store is doing what it can to fill the gap, bringing in food and other products to help residents avoid some of their shopping trips to Maine, Chindaluri said.
"People are coming here, and they're telling [us] new products, whatever they want."
Customer Wendy Smart said she has cut back her crossings to just "two or three times" this month. The whole situation has her in a state of constant worry.
"You're just kind of on the edge worrying about this, worrying about that, and hope and pray for the best."
Wendy
Smart has cut down on her trips across the border but continues to
worry about the escalating tensions between the two countries. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
She's crossing her fingers that it doesn't get worse, but with more tariffs looming, "it's not going to be good," she said. "It's how we live. These tariffs are going to affect so many people, so many different things."
Passports needed — no exceptions
Meanwhile, the longtime leniency granted to island residents crossing from Campobello to Lubec has ended under the return of Trump.
Since 2009, Canadians have been required to present a passport, Nexus card or FAST (Free and Secure Trade) card while crossing the U.S. border by land or water. For air travel, that requirement was brought in during January 2007.
But according to Campobello residents, they were often waved through with a driver's licence and a birth certificate.
Campobello Island residents use the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial International Bridge to cross into Lubec, Maine. (Allyson McCormack/CBC )
Matthews said the recent change caught many people off guard because "a lot of people's passports here had expired."
That prompted the village to arrange a passport event earlier this month. A photographer was brought in from Saint Andrews who took photos of roughly 75 residents in need of a passport, and Service Canada officials followed to help with the paperwork.
Now Matthews thinks such events will be needed up to twice a year if the current political climate persists.
Renewed push for year-round ferry
Ron Beckwith, whose house faces his "neighbours and friends across the water" in the U.S., said the recent friction at the border is adding fuel to the fight for a year-round ferry to mainland Canada.
"We need something that we can count on," Beckwith said. "We need a government-sponsored ferry to connect us back to Canada."
Ron Beckwith says residents need a government-sponsored ferry that people can count on. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure operates several free ferries in the province, including one from mainland Letete to Deer Island.
But the ferry connecting Deer Island to Campobello Island runs only from June to September and costs $25 each way for a driver and vehicle.
Holt acknowledged "there's a challenge there that needs to be addressed," but she didn't make any commitments.
Beckwith said residents "have a right to be connected to their own country without having to have the permission of Donald Trump or any other American president to get back to their own country."
"That border could literally close. I see some distinct possibility, especially with this guy."
Strained relationships
Mabey said the hardest part about living on the island right now is the strain it's putting on their relationships with their U.S. neighbours.
"As far as the president goes, I don't care for him. As far as the American people, I love them. Half my family is in the States, my daughter and my son-in-law and my two grandsons, most of my cousins. You know, we live on a border. Families are split."
She worries that with escalating tensions, things will continue to sour.
"I'm afraid that the Americans will start hating the Canadians and that the Canadians will start hating the Americans. And I think that's… a shame. I really do."
"We've always been friends, especially in border towns. I just don't see his point. I don't understand."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, member of the volunteer fire department and a board member for Fundy North Fisherman’s Association. Your first term mayor Harvey Matthews wants a place for the community to gather and has his sights set on a community centre.
Cell 506 754 6478
I could help out and make a positive infulence for the island
COUNCILOR, WARD 1
Rural Community of Campobello Island
info@campobelloislandnb.ca
924 Route 774 – Unit 3
Welshpool NB, E5E 1B1
506.752.9181
Campobello Island residents given tariff exemption for cross border shopping
Residents say tariff exemption relieves a lot of stress and anxiety crossing the border
Residents of New Brunswick's tiny Campobello Island feeling held hostage by the tariff war between Canada and the U.S. can finally return to their cross-border shopping ways.
The federal Department of Finance has announced a special exemption on U.S. consumer and household products Campobello Island residents bring in from neighbouring Maine, "in recognition of the island's unique situation."
Campobello sits in the Bay of Fundy, connected to the mainland only by a bridge to Lubec, Maine, where residents get most of the groceries, gas and supplies that aren't available on the island.
For more than a month, residents returning to Campobello have been paying the 25 per cent tariff that officers of the Canada Border Services Agency ask for.
Residents
will no longer be charged 25 percent tariffs on goods purchased in
Maine when they cross back over onto Campobello Island. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
The tariff has been Canada's way of fighting back against U.S. tariffs and encouraging Canadians to spend their money at home. Islanders with limited options became collateral damage.
"All of a sudden it removes the whole discomfort with the CBSA officers," said Campobello Island resident Zoltan Szoges, who was buying groceries in Lubec when CBC News told him about the announcement from Ottawa on Tuesday.
"This will be the la.st tariffed groceries going to Campobello."
Szoges said he had been calling government officials at all levels trying to plead the case for island residents but still was pleasantly surprised to hear the exemption was granted for the population of fewer than 1,000 people.
Shopping relief for Campobello residents"I don't want to be in a weird, awkward standoff with government employees because I'm buying milk," he said. "I have anxiety, and dealing with unclear situations with border officers is not fun for me, right? And I'm sure it's also not fun for them to be charging their neighbours money that they didn't previously have to pay."
Szoges said the tariffs weren't just dividing Canadians and Americans, it was also polarizing for island residents.
"You have the people … who are like, 'Well, I'll just pay it, and it's my duty for the greater good.' And you have other families who are, you know, struggling dollar to dollar and 25 per cent even on some products is enough to be really detrimental. And all of a sudden those people are pitted against each other."
Harvey Matthews was also surprised to hear the news. As Campobello mayor, he didn't know the exemption was coming until he got a call from a reporter. He said he's used to that as a small-town mayor and said the important thing is that the residents know, and the people who work at customs.
Campobello
mayor Harvey Matthews is pleased that islanders will now have an
exemption on Canadian tariffs, and can come and go with ease. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
He said the tariffs have been random, and he's glad people can now come and go "without being harassed."
"Just last week, my wife comes through and had to pay $34 in tariffs … on Canadian and Mexican goods." He said she paid it anyway "just to prove a point," about how flawed the tariffs were.
"I think it's certain officers, they charge it no matter what and then you get other ones that were using a little bit of discretion."
"I guess they all don't have to even worry about it, thankfully."
Ron Beckwith said you were never quite whether or not border agents would impose the tariffs. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)
Longtime Campobello resident Ron Beckwith said crossing the border this past month has been nerve-wracking, and you were "never quite sure where you stood from trip to trip."
"People have been very anxious about it, you know, not knowing from one trip to the next whether you were kind of going to trigger a reaction or whether you were going to be OK. Some of it depending on the temperament of the officer on duty."
It's been especially hard for seniors, he said, who aren't always able to make the hour-long drive through the state of Maine to cross back into Canada at the Calais-St. Stephen border to do their shopping there.
He said it will also mean "a lot to our friends and neighbours in Lubec as well."
"Those businesses were suffering as a result of this as well, because people were slowing down their purchases in Lubec. Certainly the hardware store, I've heard that first hand … And also with the grocery.
"So it's going to be welcome news on both sides of the border."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Campobello ferry starts seasonal run early amid trade war pressures
Residents had urged the move for an easier link to mainland N.B.
Residents of one New Brunswick island will have to worry less about trips to the United States as of Thursday.
The province announced that it was restarting the ferry to Campobello earlier than the usual June start due to the "ongoing tariff dispute between Canada and the United States.
"This is really important to make sure that New Brunswickers are connected to New Brunswick," said Premier Susan Holt during her weekly tariff briefing.
"And so we're really glad that that ferry is getting in the water and providing those services sooner for the people of Campobello."
The small island with a population of just under a thousand is connected by bridge to Lubec, Maine, and residents face an hour drive through the U.S. back to mainland New Brunswick when the summer ferry isn't running.
That's four border crossings just for one trip to St. Stephen or Saint John for shopping or medical appointments.
Normally the trek through Maine isn't much of a problem, but with increased tensions over the trade war, residents have been calling for better access to the rest of Canada.
While U.S. border officers have been lenient to some Campobello residents crossing without a passport, which has been formally required since 2009, that ended with Trump's return. In March, the village hosted a session for residents to get passport photos and complete documentation if theirs was expired.
Trade battle on their doorstop
Residents were also financially caught in the tariff trade war, having to pay 25 per cent on items they brought back from Maine for a month before the federal government granted island residents an exemption in early April.
That was especially helpful because the island only had one grocery store with limited supplies and no gas station, so many residents do much of their shopping in Maine.
Trade war triggers early start to seasonal Campobello Island ferry service"Our government understands the need to have a reliable transportation link to the mainland during these uncertain times," said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Chuck Chiasson in a press release.
"This is an early start and it is appreciated," said Ron Beckwith, a Campobello resident in an interview with CBC Radio's Shift.
"A lot of folks are trying hard to shop Canadian, trying to support Canada."
Beckwith noted that the ferry isn't free and costs more for larger vehicles, which adds up for people who cross more frequently.
The newly reopened ferry connects to Deer Island, and is operated by East Coast Ferries Ltd. It costs $25 for a car and one passenger each way.
From Deer Island, drivers then take a shorter, free ferry to L'Etete, which is near St. George.
"It's not the best long-range solution, but it certainly is appreciated," Beckwith said.
With the announcement, Holt also encouraged people to use the ferry to visit Campobello this summer.
Campobello Island residents often use the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial International Bridge to cross into Lubec, Maine. (Allyson McCormack/CBC )
"With the sun shining and the weather turning, it's a great time to go and visit that island."
With many Canadians boycotting U.S. travel, Beckwith said the ferry will also help tourism.
"I expect this summer to be remarkably different because Canadians are trying to stay home. So it's going to be very busy."
Beckwith said he lives across from the ferry landing and is used to seeing long lines in the summer.
"I should get a hot dog cart, it would do alright," he said with a laugh.
But on a more serious note, Beckwith said Canadians shouldn't need to get permission from the U.S. to travel within their own country, referencing the trip from Campobello through Maine to St. Stephen.
"To me, it's a Charter rights issue."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Shift
From: Mairie <mairie@sherbrooke.ca>
Date: Thu, Apr 17, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Subject: Accusé de réception
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Bonjour,
Nous vous remercions de votre correspondance au cabinet de la mairesse de Sherbrooke. Nous vous assurons que cette dernière recevra toute l’attention requise.
Vous souhaitez inviter la mairesse ?
Si vous souhaitez convier la mairesse à un événement, il est nécessaire de remplir le formulaire d'invitation à un événement en ligne à l'adresse suivante:
https://www.sherbrooke.ca/
Vous souhaitez exprimer une requête concernant les services de la ville ?
Veuillez prendre note qu’aucune plainte ou requête ne sera traitée par la mairie, sans que celle-ci n’ait d’abord été traitée par nos services municipaux par le formulaire Internet ou en appelant au 819‑821‑5858.
Après analyse, il est possible que votre correspondance soit transmise à l’un de nos services pour suivi et, au besoin, une réponse vous parviendra dès que possible.
Sincères salutations,
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Cabinet de la mairesse Ville de Sherbrooke
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Ce courrier électronique s’adresse exclusivement à son destinataire, est confidentiel et peut être protégé par le secret professionnel. Toute personne est par les présentes avisée qu’il est strictement interdit de le diffuser, de le distribuer ou de le reproduire. Si ce courrier électronique vous parvient sans vous être destiné, veuillez nous en aviser par courrier électronique à l’adresse de l’expéditeur.
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Subject: Attn Louis Lafleur Re missing email
To: <info@blf-inc.com>, <llafleur@blf-inc.com>
Cc: <info@campobelloislandnb.ca>, <antoine.tardif@victoriaville.ca>, <Elisabeth.Briere@parl.gc.ca>, <slevitz@torstar.ca>, <newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com>, <brisson@partipopulaireducanada.ca>, <philippe.darcangeli@equipeppc.ca>, <mairie@sherbrooke.ca>
Thursday, 10 April 2025
Poilievre takes aim at Carney's ability to handle Trump and his tariffs
---------- Original message ---------
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Subject: Re: Mail
To: Verville, Charles <Charles.Verville@victoriaville.ca>
From: Verville, Charles <Charles.Verville@victoriaville.ca>
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Subject: Mail
To: davidraymond.amos333@gmail.com <davidraymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Hello,
I confirm that the mayor’s office haven’t receive the email you sent yesterday.
I invite you to check the mail address :
antoine.tardif@victoriaville.
Charles Verville
Chef de Division des communications
Division des communications
Service des communications et des relations citoyennes
819 758-6419, poste 3276
Hôtel de ville
1, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, C.P. 370
Victoriaville (Québec) G6P 6T2
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CONFIDENTIALITÉ: Le présent courriel (y compris ses pièces jointes, s'il y a lieu) est
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From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Subject: Attn Louis Lafleur Re missing email
To: <info@blf-inc.com>, <llafleur@blf-inc.com>
Cc: <info@campobelloislandnb.ca>, <antoine.tardif@victoriaville.ca>, <Elisabeth.Briere@parl.gc.ca>, <slevitz@torstar.ca>, <newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com>, <brisson@partipopulaireducanada.ca>, <philippe.darcangeli@equipeppc.ca>, <mairie@sherbrooke.ca>
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From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Subject: Poilievre says Carney is using U.S. president and his economic threats as a campaign 'distraction'
To: pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, djtjr <djtjr@trumporg.com>, fin.minfinance-financemin.fin <fin.minfinance-financemin.fin@canada.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, Chrystia.Freeland <Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca>, hon.melanie.joly <hon.melanie.joly@canada.ca>, Marco.Mendicino <Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, dominic.leblanc <dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca>, prontoman1 <prontoman1@protonmail.com>, <ps.publicsafetymcu-securitepubliqueucm.sp@canada.ca>, <kevin@kevinklein.ca>, Press <press@bankofengland.co.uk>, jamie.dimon <jamie.dimon@jpmorgan.com>, Stephane.vaillancourt <stephane.vaillancourt@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, Frank.McKenna <frank.mckenna@td.com>, <patrick.fitzgerald@skadden.com>, davidmylesforfredericton@gmail.com <davidmylesforfredericton@gmail.com>, David.Akin <david.akin@globalnews.ca>, dfournier <dfournier@protonmail.com>, <jasonlavigne@outlook.com>, washington field <washington.field@ic.fbi.gov>, Mark.Blakely <mark.blakely@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, Michael.Duheme <michael.duheme@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, Mike.Comeau <mike.comeau@gnb.ca>, Susan.Holt <susan.holt@gnb.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nl.ca>, premier <premier@leg.gov.mb.ca>, premier <premier@gov.yk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nt.ca>, premier <premier@gov.bc.ca>, Office of the Premier <scott.moe@gov.sk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.pe.ca>, PREMIER <premier@gov.ns.ca>, premier <premier@gov.ab.ca>, leader@ourcanadianfuture.com <Leader@ourcanadianfuture.com>, <info@blf-inc.com>, <llafleur@blf-inc.com>, <info@campobelloislandnb.ca>, <antoine.tardif@victoriaville.ca>, <Elisabeth.Briere@parl.gc.ca>, <slevitz@torstar.ca>, <newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com>, <brisson@partipopulaireducanada.ca>, <philippe.darcangeli@equipeppc.ca>, <mairie@sherbrooke.ca>
Cc: <alastair.macfarlane@teamppc.ca>, <robmoorefundyroyal@gmail.com>, Hans Johnsen <notyourprince@gmail.com>, <canadianlibertarian@protonmail.com>, <communications@libertarian.ca>, <vote4nathalievautour@gmail.com>, <erin.howellsharpe@unifor506.ca>, <info@richardbragdon.ca>, vbrundle@hotmail.com <vbrundle@hotmail.com>, <mjwinter@stthomas.edu>, julian4tm@gmail.com <julian4tm@gmail.com>, BrianThomasMacdonald <BrianThomasMacdonald@gmail.com>, <jp.tasker@cbc.ca>, jp.lewis <jp.lewis@unb.ca>
Monday, 31 March 2025
Poilievre says the federal election can't just be about Donald Trump
https://www.cbc.ca/news/Poilievre takes aim at Carney's ability to handle Trump and his tariffs
Conservative leader says Carney is using U.S. president and his economic threats as a campaign 'distraction'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took aim at his Liberal opponent Thursday over his handling of the Canada-U.S. relationship, saying Mark Carney has so far "failed" to secure any tariff relief for Canada, even as other countries get something of a break.
Carney, meanwhile, said U.S. President Donald Trump's much-maligned "reciprocal" tariffs never applied to Canada in the first place, and he has agreed to sit down with the Americans right after this election — if he wins — to negotiate a comprehensive new economic and security agreement.
As part of his three-pronged tariff plan, Trump last week announced huge "reciprocal" tariffs on virtually every country in the world except Canada and Mexico. The fact that Canada dodged these particular tariffs was seen as a victory, and Carney called it progress and "the best of a series of bad deals."
On Wednesday, Trump relented and temporarily dialled back the more onerous tariff rates for 90 days after the stock market tanked amid the trade chaos.
"Other countries got a pause in tariffs while he failed to secure one here in Canada," Poilievre said of Carney during a housing announcement in Milton, Ont.
But Trump is still pushing ahead with a "reciprocal" 10 per cent tariff on goods coming from nearly every country — again, except Canada and Mexico, which were never hit by these particular tariffs — and a new, higher 125 per cent rate for all Chinese goods after that country retaliated.
"This, of course, happened after Prime Minister Carney boasted he had had a productive call with President Trump and that he had made 'progress.' What progress? There are more American tariffs on Canada today than there were when Prime Minister Carney took office, while dozens of other countries have secured pauses," Poilievre said.
Poilievre condemns Trump for keeping tariffs on CanadaIt's true that Trump has hit Canada harder than other countries with some of his other tariff schemes.
The president's previously announced global levies on steel, aluminum and most foreign-made autos are still in effect, and U.S. importers will have to pay tariffs when they bring those Canadian products stateside.
Trump's levies to punish Canada for supposedly being a major source of fentanyl and migrants — based on exaggerated claims that are not backed up by border data — are also in effect, but Canada has secured some exemptions to those tariffs under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
All of these U.S. tariffs, except for the ones on autos, were in place before Carney was sworn in as prime minister in mid-March.
Still, Poilievre said the Liberal leader should have gotten more out of Trump.
"Carney's biggest election promise and distraction are empty. He's telling you to forget about the lost Liberal decade of rising costs, crime, taxes and housing prices because he's somehow a magical negotiator, but we're learning that is not true. He does not control President Trump — no one does," Poilievre said.
Despite stating no Canadian leader can control Trump, Poilievre also said he will work to "end the tariffs on Day 1 after the next election" if he wins.
Poilievre has previously pitched pausing Canadian retaliatory tariffs as part of a push to hammer out a new trade deal with Trump.
Carney said he welcomed Trump's decision to hold off on some of his reciprocal tariffs, saying it's a "reprieve for the global economy."
As for the tariffs Canada is still facing, Carney said they are "threatening our families, our workers and our businesses, and while they are being imposed under different pretences, they are unjustified, unwarranted and misguided."
Carney said he will pause his campaign and return to Ottawa on Friday to convene a special meeting of his Canada-U.S. cabinet committee to discuss the government's strategy in the wake of the recent economic convulsions.
Direct tariffs still affecting Canada, Carney says when asked about dropping retaliatory measuresCarney said this upcoming vote is "the most consequential election of our lifetime," and he's working hard to represent Canada in its negotiations with the U.S. over the future of the bilateral relationship.
"The stakes have never been higher," he said.
Carney said he spoke with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, earlier Thursday and he is pressing for closer trade ties with like-minded, "reliable" allies now that the Canada-U.S. relationship is on shaky ground.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
'We look a little stupid,' says Quebec manufacturer stung by Canada's counter-tariffs
Plywood supplier who imports raw materials from U.S. has been paying 25% levy since March 4
Ask Louis Lafleur how he's feeling about American tariffs and his response comes quickly.
"Ask me how I feel about Canadian tariffs!"
Lafleur is the president of Les Boisés Lafleur, in Victoriaville, Que., 140 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The company makes wood veneers: thin sheets of a wide variety of species — maple, ash, eucalyptus — that are then applied to plywood used for countertops and furniture.
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