VICTORIA — Premier David Eby has responded to Donald Trump's tariffs, vowing to protect British Columbia from their effects and ensure the United States feels the ramifications of the president's decision.
He accused Trump of wanting to "hurt Canadians and hurt British Columbians," and said the province would counter his move with actions that would make things more expensive in the United States in a way that is "noticeable and significant for American families."
Speaking in Victoria on Tuesday, Eby said his government would immediately remove all "red state" liquor products from BC Liquor store shelves in a "deliberate" targeting of those who put Trump in power.
"There's a bit of a message in it," he explained. "We understand who's attacking us. We understand where this is coming from, and we want to send a message particularly to those governors, to those congresspeople, when they hear from their constituents about this, that they have a chance to stand up to the president and to point out that jobs in their communities are dependent on a good relationship with Canada."
Eby also vowed to ensure his government would buy Canadian first, and prioritize products from British Columbia, something he was not able to do in the past due to trade agreements with the United States.
The premier acknowledged that businesses in British Columbia would be impacted by the tariffs, and assured them that there would be systems in place at the provincial and federal level to mitigate the damage by allowing them to "pivot to global and domestic markets here in Canada."
He said the province would also be accelerating infrastructure projects to ensure there are jobs for those who need them, and to improve British Columbia's economic capabilities.
Eby added that above all, it was essential that British Columbians remain united against this threat, and play their part on an individual level by buying Canadian products and avoiding travel to the United States.
"The order that we depend is directly under threat, and quite frankly, has been betrayed," he lamented, referring to the decades-long relationship between the Canadian and American economies.
Eby went on to note that it was clear Trump's tariff threats were never about fentanyl or the border.
"Canada and all of the provinces worked together to respond to the president's demands in good faith that this was really what this was about," he said. "I would say without doubt that the president's demands were met, and yet, it did not matter ... because obviously that's not what this was about.
Eby said Trump's threats were always about annexing Canada, and made it clear that "Canada will never be the 51st state."
"We didn't ask for this fight that this president has brought to Canada and to British Columbia," he added, "but I'll tell you this. We're not gonna shrink from it ... We have no choice but to respond in kind to the United States."
Eby explained that while British Columbia may not have as big and powerful a market as our neighbours to the south, there are "many American jobs that depend on the purchases made by British Columbians and by Canadians."
Trump's implementation of 25% tariffs on Canada came on BC's budget day, when Finance Minister Brenda Bailey will table the province's fiscal plan for the coming year.
The BC NDP has already cited the tariffs as the reason behind their decision to nix the $1,000 rebate promised to British Columbians during the election.
More to come...
