New Brunswick Liberals to table budget today amid trade war with the United States

Premier of New Brunswick Susan Holt, accompanied by other Council of the Federation members, speaks to reporters at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ben Curtis

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s Liberal party is scheduled to table its first budget today since winning the October election.

The budget comes as Canada is in a trade war with the United States, and Premier Susan Holt has said the economic uncertainty has made balancing the budget an “exceptionally difficult” task.

While the U.S. has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and elsewhere, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to slap more tariffs on Canadian goods in April.

New Brunswick exports about $12 billion worth of products to Maine every year, and Holt has said the tariff threats have upended that trading relationship and risk damaging GDP growth.

Despite the uncertainty, Holt has pledged the budget will keep promises to boost health-care funding that her party made on the campaign trail.

In February, the Liberals projected the current fiscal year would end in a deficit of nearly $400 million because of soaring health-care costs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2025.

The Canadian Press