Eby resurfaces after 10-day absence to blast U.S. trade demands

PENTICTON - Premier David Eby finally resurfaced Saturday, holding a news conference in Vancouver after more than a week without an in-person public appearance..Eby appeared Saturday after Prime Minister Mark Carney pulled Canada out of negotiations late Friday night, citing last-minute U.S. demands. The premier framed the American position as an unacceptable bid for control.Asked why he had missed a crucial first ministers meeting on the Canada-U.S. trade talks earlier in the week, Eby said he was in an area with “spotty internet and cell service.” He did not say where that was or why he was there.The 6-foot-7 NDP leader had not been seen since August 12, when he visited Penticton for photo-ops and a briefing amid the Bald Range wildfire that forced thousands from their homes in the South Okanagan. Western Standard noted the absence Friday as high-stakes Canada-U.S. trade talks reached a critical stage.“I think the recent developments in this negotiation, though I hesitate to even call it that … revealed the true nature of what the Americans are seeking,” Eby said. “The suggestion that Canada would not trade with other countries or reduce our trade with other countries because the Americans tell us to would reduce us to the economic equivalent of the 51st state.”He even posted a short video clip of the remarks on X — further establishing proof-of-life..“We have a plan to stand on our own two feet, find new trade partners and protect this beautiful country,” the accompanying text read.Eby had broken his relative silence on the trade file Friday night with a written statement supporting Carney’s decision to walk away. “British Columbians will always stand with Canada,” he wrote. “Our politeness should never be mistaken for weakness. We’ll always defend ourselves. We didn’t ask for this, but we’ll keep fighting for as long as it takes.”.At the news conference he repeated that Canada cannot trust the current U.S. administration and must diversify trade. He said he was “devastated by the impact that this will have on hardworking families in British Columbia and across the country, for no reason,” while promising provincial support for affected workers and industries.Eby also renewed his refusal to restock American alcohol, a point of friction in the talks. “Even Russian forest products have better access to the U.S. market right now than Canadian forest products,” he said, “and in that environment, the idea that we would be stocking U.S. liquor is absurd.”As previously reported by Western Standard, total U.S. imports of Russian sawn lumber in 2025 were worth about $88,000. Canada, by contrast, supplied 82% of U.S. softwood lumber import volume that year, or 24.62 million cubic metres.The premier offered no explanation for the extended 10-day gap between his last documented appearance in the fire zone and Saturday’s Vancouver event. The provincial state of emergency related to wildfires remains in effect until August 29.

Eby resurfaces after 10-day absence to blast U.S. trade demands

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