Our Premier David Eby is in Washington DC to meet with the Trump White House. It is very disappointing that Donald Trump decided to announce 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum during a negotiated 30 day pause. The provincial government is currently conducting an internal analysis to understand how this impacts the British Columbian economy. These tariffs are unjustified, and we need to respond proportionately and make it clear we will not roll over. A tariff fight between our countries will be devastating for families on both sides of the border. If tariffs are imposed on our godds and services, we will be forced to respond.
Our provincial government has introduced a three-point strategy to fight back and protect British Columbians if tariffs are introduced:
1. Respond to U.S. tariffs with tough counter-actions and outreach to American decision-makers (temporarily paused as President Trump has announced a 30 day pause on the tariffs)
2. Strengthen B.C.’s economy by expediting projects and supporting industry and workers
3. Diversify trade markets for products so British Columbia is less reliant on U.S. markets and customers
We’ve identified major projects including mines, renewable energy and natural gas that can be accelerated through government action. This is part of the BC Economy diversification plan. Our focus will be on getting these projects approved as quickly as possible and issuing their permits faster. The projects are:
• Eskay Creek Gold/Silver project: NW, Stewart
• Highland Valley Copper Expansion: SE, Logan Lake
• Red Chris Expansion: NW, Stewart
• Mount Milligan Copper and Gold: NW, Fort St. James
• Cedar LNG: NW, Kitimat
• NEBC Connector: North River Midstream: NE, Fort St. John area
• Enbridge T-North (Aspen Point): NE
• North Coast Transmission Line: NW, Prince George to Terrace
• Brewster Wind Project – Campbell River – Wind
• Boulder and Elkhart Wind Project – Merritt – Wind
• Highland Valley Wind Project – Logan Lake – Wind
• K2 Wind Project – Kelowna – Wind
• ShTSaQU Solar Project – Logan Lake – Solar
• Mount Mabel Wind Project – Logan Lake – Wind
• Nilhts’i Ecoener Project – Prince George – Wind
• Nithi Mountain Wind Project – Fraser Lake – Wind
• Stewart Creek Wind Project – Fort St. John – Wind
• Taylor Wind Project – Taylor – Wind
This is an initial list of projects representing approx. $20 billion and will create 8,000 family supporting jobs in remote and rural communities. These are projects that are ready to move forward and have the potential to generate significant employment to support the BC economy in the face of tariffs. This list is not an exhaustive list—there are number of other projects underway across the province, and we will be looking to identify other projects as well.
Part of the planned tariff response was to end all liquor procurement from America. BC Liquor received direction that if tariffs were to go through, no liquor was to be purchased from America. This includes wines from Oregon and California. Premier Eby announced that liquor from red states were to be removed from shelves immediately, halting the sale of “red state liquor”, while the rest of the American liquor was to be sold and not replaced through procurement. The decision to remove alcohol from red states is not an attempt to politicize the issue. Our economy is not as big as America, we have to fight these potential tariffs smarter. Focusing on the red states means that we focused the pressure on Trump’s allies – the people he listens to and who have influence with him. This response will be followed through if tariffs are implemented as originally signaled by the Donald Trump’s White House.
David Eby is currently in Washington, DC to bring this message forward. The Premier will make sure the lawmakers and business leaders he meets understand the importance of trade with BC and the harm Trump’s unjustified tariffs will cause to Americans and Canadians alike. BC is the best province in the greatest country in world, and our government will never stop standing up for BC jobs. We will never be the 51st state. We will continue to be good neighbours and allies to the American people, but we will also stand up to protect ourselves from this unjust and unnecessary threat by President Trump.