Brian Kemp is Going to Canada: Here’s Why

Gov. Brian Kemp will lead a three-day trade mission to Canada next week amid an atmosphere of uncertainty prompted by a series of tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on the United States’ northern neighbor.

Kemp, joined by Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp and state Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson, will attend the 2025 Southeast U.S.-Canadian Provinces Alliance conference in Saint John, New Brunswick, which will run from June 8-10.

The alliance was established in 2007 to enhance trade and investment, promote cross-border business collaboration between the two countries, and create new trade opportunities through connections between the member Southeastern states and Canadian provinces.

That collaboration is being sorely tested by the tariffs Trump has slapped on Canadian imports into the U.S. and the retaliatory tariffs Canada has imposed.

During his first month in office last winter, the Republican president signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, with a 10% tariff on energy resources, then delayed them until early March due to concessions from Canada.

However, the administration later adjusted the tariffs to minimize disruption to the automotive industry. Then, in the latest step escalating the trade war between the two nations, Trump this week doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada to 50%.

A meeting in the Oval Office last month between Trump and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became testy when the president talked about his desire for the U.S. to acquire Canada as the 51st state. Carney replied that Canadian voters in the recent election sent a clear message that Canada is not for sale.

On the other hand, Canada was Georgia’s fifth-largest trading partner last year, with $13.9 billion in total trade, including $7.4 billion in exports from the Peach State.

Georgia has hosted two previous SEUS-CP Alliance conferences, the inaugural meeting in 2008 and the 14th annual conference in 2022.

In a goodwill gesture, the Georgia Forestry Commission has offered to make any needed resources available to help fight wildfires raging across Canada’s central and western provinces, which are spreading smoke across the U.S. border into the Midwest, Northeast and Middle Atlantic states.