Vermont committee reviews draft resolution urging return to USMCA stability and opposing tariffs on Canadian goods

The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs on Friday, April 18 reviewed a draft single-chamber resolution urging cooperative relations between the United States and Canada and asking federal leaders to remove or refrain from imposing tariffs on Canadian imports.

The measure, drafted by Michael Chernick and circulated to the committee, frames the dispute over tariffs as damaging to Vermont’s economy and cross-border personal ties. Committee members asked staff to revise the text to (1) recognize the existing United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and express a desire to return to or maintain its provisions for stability, (2) expand the list of recipients to include the full U.S. congressional delegation as well as Canadian counterparts and the Canadian consulate in Boston, (3) add language acknowledging familial as well as cultural and economic ties across the border, and (4) provide a French translation of the resolution.

Committee members and staff discussed recent trade facts that the draft cites: Vermont exports to Canada in 2023 of about $680 million in goods and $165 million in services, roughly $2.6 billion in Vermont goods imported from Canada that year, and Canadian investment supporting more than 17,000 Vermont jobs. The draft also cites that Hydro‑Québec supplied roughly 24 percent of Vermont’s electric supply portfolio in 2023 and that Vermont gas systems obtain natural gas from Canada. Members noted those figures as the basis for urging federal attention to tariff impacts.

Staff and members debated how to phrase the recommendation on tariffs given evolving federal actions. Committee members suggested adding a resolve calling on the U.S. House and Senate to exercise their authority over tariff policy, and to reference the USMCA explicitly as the agreement that currently governs most tariff treatment for North American-origin goods. Staff explained that goods that meet North American origin rules under USMCA generally are not subject to the 10 percent baseline tariff cited for non‑origin products, while recent administration actions have included a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum and a 10 percent tariff applied in some energy-related contexts.

Members also suggested including language that the resolution not only protests tariffs but seeks to preserve and stabilize the longstanding personal, familial and economic links between Vermont and Quebec and the rest of Canada. The committee discussed Vermont’s in‑market trade representation in Montreal and Toronto and asked staff to mention that investment.

No formal motion or vote was taken during the hearing. Committee members directed the drafter to revise the resolution for the next committee meeting, with Tim (staff) reviewing edits before submission to legislative editors. A French translation prepared by Sandy Gulick was noted as available for amendment and inclusion if the committee so chooses.

The committee scheduled further consideration and requested an updated factual briefing on current tariffs ahead of next week’s related item on Taiwan, which members said is also affected by recent tariff actions at the federal level.