B.C. Premier David Eby has announced his support for retaliatory measures against the United States, including tariffs, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.
Trump has said he will levy a blanket 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if the country doesn’t crack down on the number of migrants and drugs entering the U.S.
“Nothing is off the table,” Eby said Thursday during an unrelated news conference. “We are prepared to support retaliatory tariffs in response to the United States that gets their attention and helps them understand the consequences for British Columbians and Americans.”
Eby highlighted B.C.’s critical exports to the U.S., including electricity, natural gas, and minerals, especially to Washington and Oregon, noting the province sold over $1 billion worth of electricity to U.S. states last year.
While the premier criticized using retaliatory tariffs as “a huge waste of time, energy, and resources,” he reiterated that B.C. is prepared to act if “forced into a corner.”
Eby to consider retaliatory tariffs but not border patrol
Eby’s comments came a day after a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s premiers to discuss a unified response to Trump’s tariff threats.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has taken a hardline stance, saying he’s willing to cut off Ontario’s energy supply to the U.S. if Trump follows through on tariffs.
Premiers across the country are reacting to threats from incoming U.S. president Donald Trump to impose substantial tariffs on Canadian goods. Alberta’s premier has already announced plans for a new border patrol unit to prevent illegal crossing and drugs and guns from entering Canada in an effort to alleviate threats. As Meera Bains reports, B.C.’s premier says the province will support retaliatory tariffs but has no plans to put more provincial resources into boosting border security.
Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith rejected tariffs and energy cutoffs, opting instead to invest $29 million in a new border patrol unit to intercept illegal crossings and drug trafficking.
Critics, however, question the legality of Alberta’s plan.
“Immigration law is a federal jurisdiction,” said Len Saunders, a U.S.-based immigration lawyer. “What are they going to do? Hold up signs and tell people not to enter illegally?”
He says the flow of illegal migrants from Canada is a fraction of what crosses over from Mexico.
“I don’t know what the Trudeau government can realistically do to stop people from entering the U.S. illegally. It’s a U.S. problem.”
Eby has also ruled out provincial patrols at B.C.’s border crossings.
“To take over federal responsibilities at the federal border and pay for that when British Columbians are paying for so many other things other provinces aren’t paying for feels a bit like a step too far,” he said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says that under no circumstances will Alberta agree to cut off oil and gas exports to the United States. Smith was asked what she thinks of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to potentially cut off energy exports to the U.S. if president-elect Donald Trump moves ahead with heavy tariffs.
Economic stakes on both sides
Eby emphasized that retaliatory tariffs would hurt both countries, a concern echoed by Washington state.
In a statement to CBC News on Friday, Mike Faulk, spokesperson for Gov. Jay Inslee, highlighted the potential impact of tariffs on electricity imports from Canada, warning of the significant costs such measures could impose on Washington’s consumers and businesses.
Faulk pointed out that Canada is Washington’s fifth-largest importer, with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of aerospace, timber, and agriculture products, depending on the relationship.
“Both B.C. and Washington benefit from our ability to trade electricity and use the lowest cost resources available on any given day,” the statement read.
“No one wins by turning our closest friends into enemies.”
Mary Lou Steward, the mayor of Blaine, a border town in Washington, south of Surrey, B.C., shares the same sentiment.
“We are so heavily dependent on lawful Canadians coming in droves across the border armed with their credit cards,” she told CBC News.
“They come to our restaurants. They belong to our golf course. Canadians bring a lot of goodwill and resources to our economy. It’s huge.”
She also referenced the inscription on the U.S. side of the Peace Arch monument, which describes Americans and Canadians as “children of a common mother.”
“And that’s how we feel,” the mayor said.