Mainers know that we need to defeat President Trump, not Canada | Steve Collins
That our nearest and dearest neighbor, Canada, feels like President Donald Trump is treating it like an enemy should be alarming to every Mainer.
Here in Maine, we know that Canada is a reliable nation that we can trust.
It doesn’t mean we never have disputes on minor issues, from logging to who owns Machias Island, but it does mean that we recognize Canada as a free and friendly place whose people are open to reasonable discussions.
Trump has shown, repeatedly, that he is not.
As a result, Mainers are likely to see rising costs, more risk and greater uncertainty because “most businesses will have no choice but to pass on the tariffs to their customers through higher prices,” as Sen. Susan Collins put it last weekend.
The state imports about $2 billion annually from Canada, not counting petroleum products, which means it faces a bigger impact than most states if Trump’s pointless squabble continues. It could mean higher prices for everything from heating oil to hockey sticks, with possible impacts on dairy farms, lobstering and more. Collins is urging both sides to “return to the negotiating table” and calling for Trump to consider the negative impact of tariffs.
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Canadians, though, have had it with our blustering, deceitful president and his constantly shifting demands. Their prime minister, Mark Carney, called it war. And he’s not wrong.
It’s an unpleasant feeling to see so much conflict when Maine shares a 611-mile border with Canada that stretches from Quebec to New Brunswick. And another province, Nova Scotia, isn’t far.
To be fair, Maine almost went to war with Canada on our own in one of the world’s most ridiculous showdowns, with a bear as the only casualty. But the Aroostook War is nearly forgotten and its issues long settled.
Many of us in Maine, and elsewhere in New England, have roots in Canada, including me. Six of my eight great-grandparents hailed from our northern neighbor. Nobody’s going to convince me or my kin that Canada should be treated like a pathetic sidekick.
There’s just no excuse for what’s going on now.
That’s where Sen. Collins comes into play. She is, of course, concerned.
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But what we need isn’t concern. It’s for our senators to stand tall, with courage and a loud voice, to take on Trump and demand a modicum of rationality from his bootlicking administration.
I don’t understand why a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Senate has so little clout in Washington. Collins seems timid and careful even after all these years, like a junior senator afraid of incurring the wrath of the titans who control Capitol Hill.
In the great struggle to constrain a president who confuses himself with a Roman emperor, Collins has been largely absent. She should be on the field as a leader but is instead hiding on the sidelines.
The general election in November only has one meaningful issue on the ballot: Trump. He makes that clear every day.
That’s why voters who may sympathize with Maine’s senior senator, and appreciate her ability to haul federal cash back home, are dubious about giving her another term. Collins has shown she has neither the power nor the desire to take on Trump.
Like the Canadians, Democratic Senate hopeful Troy Jackson has the right spirit. He’s been a fighter his entire political career. That’s just what the times require.
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Tagged: columns
Steve Collins became an opinion columnist for the Maine Trust for Local News in April of 2025. A journalist since 1987, Steve has worked for daily newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Maine and served. More by Steve Collins
