British Columbia “will stand strong with Canada,” Premier David Eby said at a news conference Saturday after the breakdown of trade talks with the United States Friday night.
The premier said everything is on the table in terms of B.C.’s participation in the Canadian response to “unfair” American tariffs.
He also said the idea of returning American alcohol to the shelves of B.C. liquor stores at this time would be “absurd.”
The premier’s speech follows news conferences from Prime Minister Mark Carney and other premiers earlier in the day Saturday.
Carney used his availability to announce that promised “dollar-for-dollar” retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. will take effect on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The prime minister pulled Canada out of trade talks late Friday night, shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump’s extended deadline for negotiations.
In a statement, Carney said “last-minute changes” from the U.S. were “unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any deal.”
During his remarks Saturday, Eby said the American negotiation team’s efforts to limit Canada’s ability to make its own deals with other trade partners was unacceptable.
“I think the recent developments in this negotiation, though I hesitate to even call it that … revealed the true nature of what the Americans are seeking,” Eby said.
“The suggestion that Canada would not trade with other countries or reduce our trade with other countries because the Americans tell us to would reduce us to the economic equivalent of the 51st state.”
The premier echoed the prime minister’s pledges to continue diversifying Canada’s trading partners while promising government support for industries and workers affected by the trade war.
“I am very proud of how British Columbians and Canadians have responded,” Eby said. “I am devastated by the impact that this will have on hardworking families in British Columbia and across the country, for no reason, and we will work hard to ensure those British Columbians are supported and work with the federal government to ensure all Canadians benefit from living in this incredible country.”
Booze ban tied to forestry sector
On the issue of American alcohol—which B.C. removed from shelves in response to Trump’s first round of tariffs against Canada last year, and which the U.S. used as justification for its latest “retaliatory” tariffs—Eby reiterated his position.
The premier linked the province’s booze ban to American treatment of the Canadian forestry sector, a foundational industry in B.C. and one that has been hemorrhaging jobs in recent years.
“I would like to see an outcome where our forest products have the same access to the U.S. market as E.U. forest products,” Eby said.
“Even Russian forest products have better access to the U.S. market right now than Canadian forest products, and in that environment, the idea that we would be stocking U.S. liquor is absurd.”
Eby said B.C. would not stock U.S. alcohol while the American “attack” on the province’s economy continues.
When asked if additional measures—such as restricting electricity exports—would be considered, the premier offered no specifics, but declined to rule anything out.
“Every possible tool, every weapon that can be deployed by the federal government in this economic war that is being waged on Canada, is on the table,” he said.
“Whatever we can do in B.C. to support (the federal response), we will. And we’ll also work with the federal government to make sure that if B.C. has to bear a disproportionate burden, that we also see that support come back from the federal government in terms of making sure that businesses here are kept as whole as possible.”
‘This is an economic emergency’
The leader of B.C.’s Official Opposition also weighed in on the breakdown of talks Friday night, describing it in a social media post as “a serious blow to Canadian workers, businesses and families.”
B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay thanked Canada’s negotiators for their hard work and their efforts to defend the country’s interests, and called for “a clear plan of action” moving forward.
“British Columbians deserve clarity,” Findlay wrote. “We need to know the lay of the land, what the government’s plan is to protect our economy and workers, and what immediate supports will be available to the industries and communities most affected.”
“This is an economic emergency, and it requires an urgent response,” she added. “The premier should be prepared to recall the legislature so that elected representatives can address this crisis and put forward a clear agenda to protect British Columbians.”
Eby made no promise to recall the legislature during his news conference Saturday. His office told reporters an emergency cabinet meeting had been scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Business groups weigh in
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson issued a statement Saturday morning describing her organization as “deeply concerned about the collapse of the trade talks and the impact of tariffs, which raise costs for businesses and consumers on both sides of the border.”
Anderson called for Canadian governments to be strategic in their response to U.S. tariffs, and to work with affected industries to avoid “unnecessary harm” to Canadian businesses and consumers.
She added that the two countries should “keep the lines of communication open” in hopes of achieving a fair and “durable” agreement.
“At the same time, this is a reminder that Canada cannot afford to wait,” Anderson said. “Governments must move urgently to reduce internal trade barriers, build trade-enabling infrastructure, advance major resource and industrial projects, diversify export markets, and do everything they can to strengthen Canada’s competitiveness.”
In her own statement Saturday, B.C. Federation of Labour president Sussanne Skidmore stressed the need to prioritize workers when considering Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs.
“B.C. workers have already been carrying a lot: affordability pressures, economic uncertainty and the ongoing chaos already coming from Donald Trump’s tariff agenda,” Skidmore said.
“Our response can’t just be about protecting corporate balance sheets. It has to be about protecting people. Workers are the engine of B.C.’s economy, and they have to be governments’ first priority.”
