New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is facing pushback from small businesses in the province’s hunting and fishing sector after floating the idea of cutting off American hunters and anglers as part of a broader response to the ongoing trade war with the United States.
Holt’s proposal would restrict the sale of licences that non-resident hunters and anglers require to pursue New Brunswick wildlife. It is one of several measures her Liberal government has considered or already implemented amid escalating tariffs imposed on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Previous steps have included barring the province’s liquor agency from purchasing American alcohol, restricting U.S. suppliers from bidding on provincial government contracts, and proposing a cutoff of electricity exports to part of Maine that relies on New Brunswick power.
A spokesperson for Holt’s office said the government is “exploring potential restrictions on non-resident hunters and anglers” among a suite of actions taken in response to the tariffs, adding that any decision would go through the normal legislative process, including stakeholder engagement.
Industry Warns of Major Losses
Outfitters who run hunting and fishing packages say the move would eliminate their primary customer base. Clay Harrison, head of the United Guides and Outfitters of New Brunswick and a 27-year owner-operator in the industry, said about 85 per cent of clients come from the United States. He warned that severing that pipeline would be devastating for businesses built over generations on American clientele.
Harrison pointed to this week’s annual five-day moose hunt in New Brunswick, which he said is expected to generate $1.9 million from American hunters through tag fees, outfitter services, taxidermists, meat processors and related businesses.
A study by the Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations found that of the $8.9 million spent in New Brunswick in 2017 by clients of outfitters who came to hunt and fish, $7.3 million came from foreign visitors. Nationally, the same report found foreigners spent more than $2 billion on hunting and fishing across Canada, accounting for roughly two-thirds of total spending in the sector.
Scott Ellis, vice chair of the federation, called the proposed licence ban a “crazy idea” that would end up hurting Canadians rather than Americans. He said the industry has continued to perform well despite the trade war and argued the plan had not been fully thought through, describing it as short-sighted and warning it risked damaging what he called a multibillion-dollar industry. Ellis said no other province is currently weighing a similar ban.
Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton said his department has not discussed comparable restrictions on hunting licences in that province, though he noted the situation could change as circumstances evolve.
Political Reaction and Analysis
Don Desserud, chair of the University of Prince Edward Island’s political science department, suggested the New Brunswick government may be testing public reaction as it searches for ways to pressure the United States. He said governments often float such trial ideas, and that while the plan could be politically risky, it showed some creative thinking. Desserud added that targeting American recreational hunters, rather than pursuing a straightforward tit-for-tat tariff response, could put pressure on a demographic often associated with Trump’s political base, since such symbolic gestures can carry influence within U.S. political circles.
Glen Savoie, interim leader of the province’s official Opposition, criticized the proposal as harmful to New Brunswick’s own workforce, saying it would threaten the livelihoods of outfitters, guides and cooks in the sport hunting and fishing sector. He characterized the idea as evidence of the Liberal government’s difficulty managing the broader tariff dispute, arguing it disproportionately affects rural New Brunswick.
Ellis noted that if New Brunswick does move to restrict American access, outfitters in other jurisdictions where he operates would likely welcome the additional business that could result.
Economic Stakes in New Brunswick's Outfitting Industry
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