The BC NDP has tabled a bill that would give the government sweeping new powers to respond to moves made by President Donald Trump.
The move comes amid growing tensions between Canada and the United States as the latter continues to threaten the former with tariffs and annexation.
If passed, the legislation would allow for "fast, flexible regulation-making authorities to ensure we can act and be responsive to the unpredictable and quickly evolving threats to our economy, our economic security, and our sovereignty," with a "sunset clause" to repeal the powers on May 28, 2027.
Authorities would be able to create new laws covering anything pertaining to the economy without the approval of the legislature, including imposing tolls on Americans using British Columbian roads, bridges, and ferry terminals.
Also included in the bill are measures aimed at knocking down interprovincial trade barriers so products from across Canada to flow into British Columbia, and ensuring Canadian-made goods are prioritized in government procurement.
During a press conference in Victoria on Thursday, Eby said he wants to ensure his tariff response measures "minimize the impact on British Columbians, and maximize the impact on Americans, especially those Americans who can send a message to the president."
Eby also addressed concerns regarding the powers it would give him to act without the approval of the legislature.
"It's crucial that whatever the emergency is that the president incurs on us in an effort to damage us that we're able to respond quickly to minimize the damage," he said. "This is not everyday legislation ... This is in an emergency situation where we need legislative authority, we need government authority to do something quickly to minimize damage to the economy, to people."
Eby said there were "a number of safeguards built in" to the bill to ensure the powers were only used in emergencies.
When asked whether it could be seen as a "power grab," Eby reiterated that the additional capabilities are "extraordinary authorities that would only, and should only, and by the legislation can only be used in extraordinary circumstances, that even if they are used they have to come to the legislature to be ratified" and "expire after a certain time."
"If you thought government overreach during COVID19 was bad — wait until you hear about what BC's radical NDP is trying to with Bill 7," BC Conservative leader John Rustad wrote in a post on X. "Bill 7 gives BC's already authoritarian top-down NDP government sweeping, almost unlimited powers with zero oversight. Bill 7 is so radical that it’s almost hard to believe — for example, it includes provisions that allow the NDP to introduce road pricing and collect your personal information."
