Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is in France as part of ongoing efforts to promote trade talks amid tariff tensions between Canada and the U.S.
Houston is in the country to discuss market and energy opportunities with France-based tire manufacturer, Michelin, which is one of Nova Scotia’s largest employers.
It’s the latest in a series of international trips for Houston to bolster trade relations since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods.
“Given the circumstances we’re in, I think it’s probably going to be the case that a lot of the premiers if not all of them, are going to be travelling more than they usually do because they’re looking for new trade partnerships.,” said Dalhousie University political scientist, Lori Turnbull.
Although the response to build up new trade relations is being led federally, Turnbull says the provinces’ premiers also play a key role.
“They are actually the best ones that are most able to explain what that partnership would look like on the ground because it is very regional, provincial, more than it is national,” she said.
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She also notes Houston has been travelling interprovincially, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford becoming a significant ally.
“There seems to also be a desire on Premier Houston’s part to expand the reach of his own brand,” she said.
Since being re-elected in November 2024, Houston has been on more than half a dozen international trips.
The province’s ministerial expenses record for the fiscal year ending March 31 shows more than $10,000 has been spent. That figure doesn’t include his most recent stops in Denmark, Spain, the U.K. and now France.
The Nova Scotia Liberal Party says it’s crucial for the premier to deliver the results of these trade talks to Nova Scotians.
“The premier has indicated that he’s meeting with various representatives and some of them are maybe potential to the province or established in the province already, so we haven’t seen any reports coming out of the trips yet but we’ll be asking the question,” said interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette.
During the spring sitting of the legislature, the NDP also raised concerns about Houston’s travel, saying he should have made sitting in the House a priority.
In a statement provided to Global News on Monday night, the premier’s office says Houston’s travel is required to ‘protect our province’s interests’ while trying to ‘become more self-reliant, and diversify our markets.’
“The Premier’s travel expenses are funded through the most relevant department, not according to the Ministerial portfolio,” the statement goes on to stay. “This is standard practice. In many cases this means expenses related to Trade are covered by Intergovernmental Affairs, however, depending on the mission they may fall under another department.”
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