British Columbia Premier David Eby is accusing the B.C. Conservatives of undermining the province’s response to U.S. tariffs following what he described as a “quiet meeting” with the U.S. ambassador, saying the Opposition is calling for the government to abandon one of its key retaliatory measures in the trade dispute.
Speaking to reporters in Surrey, Eby said the province would not reverse its decision to remove U.S. alcohol from B.C. liquor store shelves, despite criticisms from Conservatives suggesting the booze ban should be scrapped.
The premier on Tuesday described the liquor ban as “the only leverage that appears to be catching the attention of the (U.S.) president” after the White House last week announced increased tariffs on Canada due to allegedly unfair trade practices, specifically citing provincial bans on U.S. alcohol sales.
“We will never put U.S. alcohol back on the shelves, and I think that that approach for British Columbia is the right approach,” Eby said, adding that lifting the ban would “sell out” the province’s forestry workers and their families who are struggling under “draconian tariffs on our wood products.”
B.C. ‘paying the price’
Ward Stamer, the Conservative critic for forestry, has told media outlets in recent days that B.C. should abandon the U.S. alcohol ban as a bargaining chip and a show of good faith in negotiations with U.S. counterparts.
Stamer was one of several B.C. Conservative members who joined party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra earlier this month.
In a brief statement on July 13, the party said the meeting was intended “to establish diplomatic relations with B.C.’s largest trading partner, the United States.”
A separate release from the party last week accused Eby and the B.C. NDP of recklessly provoking the new round of U.S. tariffs.
“The Trump administration’s new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian autos, alcohol and dairy specifically cite the removal of American alcohol from store shelves as one of the reasons for escalating the dispute,” the release said. “The NDP imposed a ban without thinking through the consequences, and now British Columbians are paying the price.”
Eby downplays rift with Alberta
Eby had his own meeting with the U.S. ambassador this month, which his office described in a statement to CTV News as a “productive conversation,” during which the premier affirmed the province’s boycott on U.S.-made alcohol in the absence of a broader agreement on trade and tariffs.
The premier’s comments Tuesday came in response to a reporter’s question about whether Canada’s premiers are united in their opposition to the U.S. tariffs after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her province would not remove American alcohol from stores.
Eby downplayed the differences between his approach and Smith’s, arguing that varying strategies have created multiple channels to engage with the U.S. administration.
“One of the strengths of our approach as premiers has been that across the country there have been slightly different levels of engagement with the U.S. administration,” Eby said.
“It creates a channel for communication. It creates the opportunity for advocacy, and that, while unplanned, has been one of the benefits of different approaches.”
