By Mike Pieciak, Vermont Treasurer
Let me start as directly as I can: I’m sorry, Canada. You didn’t elect our president, but you’re paying the price for his policies. In Vermont, we’re feeling the consequences too.
Trump’s reckless tariffs are more than economic burdens; they’re straining relationships that have taken decades to build. They’re making life harder for communities on both sides of the border, undermining the trust and goodwill that have defined our partnership for so long. In this moment of division, I’m here to say: Vermont chooses a different path. We choose to stand with Canada.
Vermonters elected me as Treasurer to grow our state’s economy, lower costs, and create new opportunities for financial success. For generations, our state’s deep ties to Canada have played a crucial role in this work—supporting economic partnership, lifelong friendships, and trust across borders.
Today, as tariffs and divisive rhetoric threaten to drive our countries apart, I want to speak directly to Canadians and reaffirm Vermont’s support for your country and the shared values that unite us.
Canada is Vermont’s top trading partner, supporting billions in economic activity that benefits Canadians and Americans alike. For small businesses, our economic partnership creates unique opportunities to thrive and expand into new markets. It has helped lower costs for critical industries like housing, clean energy, and maple syrup production.
The Trump tariffs betray this partnership without consideration for the everyday Canadians and Vermonters who will face higher prices and fewer opportunities. Meanwhile, the administration’s rhetoric has undermined generations of respectful relations, damaging friendships, dividing families, and making both of our countries less safe.
Many Canadians have responded, understandably, by boycotting American-made products and canceling planned visits to the U.S. For Vermont’s small businesses and rural communities that rely heavily on Canadian tourism, this presents an existential challenge.
Canadians have every right to feel betrayed. Here in Vermont, we share that same deep frustration as the Trump administration jeopardizes our economy and our ability to meet Vermonters’ basic needs.
But let’s be clear: breaking our longstanding partnership won’t hurt President Trump or force him to change course. It will kill jobs, hurt businesses, and livelihoods—making people angrier, lonelier, and less trusting of the world. It will create enormous suffering for families on both sides of the border.
Our relationship long predates President Trump, and I have faith that it will endure long after. The best way forward, for both of us, is to hold fast to the bonds we share. Across our state, Vermonters are doing just that—extending a hand to the Canadian people.
Right now, Jay Peak Resort is welcoming Canadian visitors by accepting Canadian dollars at the same value as U.S. dollars. The Vermont Brewers Association is doing the same for its annual Brewers’ Festival this summer, giving Canadians more value for their money when they visit the Green Mountain State.
On May 10, I traveled to Montreal with dozens of fellow Vermonters to meet local residents and spend our money at Canadian businesses. We did this to send a simple but powerful message to Canada: You matter to Vermont. We value you, we support you, and we believe in each other.
Canadians and Vermonters didn’t choose this fight, but we do get to choose our friends. And in Vermont, we’re choosing to face these challenges with our neighbors to the north. We’re asking Canadians to consider choosing Vermont, too.
