Dominic LeBlanc Convenes Atlantic Trade Task Force on Seafood and Forest Export Levies

MONCTON, NB — Senior Cabinet Minister Dominic LeBlanc hosted an emergency strategy session with Atlantic Canadian trade ministers and industry representatives in Moncton on Saturday, establishing a regional Trade Mitigation Desk to protect coastal export corridors.

Sectoral Exposure in Maritime Commodities

Atlantic Canada's commercial fisheries, aquaculture operators, and softwood lumber mills export over $6.2 billion in seafood and forest products into the northeastern United States annually. The new task force brings together representatives from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the Lobster Council of Canada, and provincial trade departments across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI.

LeBlanc announced that ACOA will open an immediate $30-million cold-storage and processing liquidity facility to allow seafood processors to hold live and frozen inventory rather than dumping catch at distressed price points during customs disputes.

Supply Chain Adjustments

Exporters are actively working with freight forwarders to secure air-cargo capacity out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport to ramp up direct shipments of live lobster and premium fish to European and East Asian markets.

Local processing associations in Shediac, Caraquet, and Yarmouth stressed that access to short-term liquidity is vital to maintain vessel payments to inshore harvesters during the peak autumn fishing seasons.

Next Steps and Interprovincial Coordination

The Atlantic Trade Task Force will deliver weekly operational updates to the federal Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations, with its next formal assessment scheduled for Thursday in Saint John.