The Governor of Vermont pulled no punches when addressing the damaging effect of President Donald Trump’s policies on his state’s relationship with Canada.

Phil Scott, who is a Republican, told reporters in St. John’s yesterday that he respects the democratic process that brought Trump to power, but he questioned the damaging impact of his tariffs and other policies.

He says the sooner “we get to a point where we’re treating each other more with respect and civility, the better off we’ll all be.”

“Because there are far greater adversaries out there, China and Russia in particular, and North Korea…those are the folks we should be paying attention to…and we should be gaining this comradery, and reinforcing this comradery that we have with our friends first.”

Scott, who acknowledges he is one of the few Republicans who has admitted publicly that he did not vote for Trump, says tourism in Vermont has taken a 5 per cent hit and his message to Canadians is “we miss you,” but they understand.

“Over the last year I have taken the approach of an umpire. And I’m just calling balls and strikes. When the President does something that isn’t good for Vermont, I’ll say so. When he does something that’s good for Vermont, I’ll say so. We can’t live in chaos for the next three years – it’s not healthy for our citizens.”

Scott was speaking at a news conference following a meeting of eastern Canadian Premiers and New England Governors in St. John’s.