Premier David Eby Wednesday (March 5) echoed the rhetoric of Ontario Premier Doug Ford when it comes to addressing U.S. tariffs, while Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad warned against embracing Ford's approach.
Little more than 24 hours after the United States imposed 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods, Eby told reporters outside the legislature that he agreed with Ford, who said that Ontario's measures would remain in place until the U.S. lifts tariffs. Ford made his comments hours before the United States exempted auto manufacturers for one month.
"No half measures," Eby said. "These tariffs that are threatening the livelihoods of Canadians and Americans cannot be allowed to stand. We continue to stand with premiers and the prime minister and with Canadians from coast to coast to coast to fight these tariffs and we will continue to push back to ensure that Americans know and understand the depth of our integration and that causing pain to Canadians will be met with a fierce and strong response."
Eby continued the sentiment during a ministerial statement in the legislature when he described the American tariffs as a "betrayal of the worst kind" that would not go unanswered.
"I rise to assure British Columbians in this chamber that we remain steadfast," he said. "We will do anything necessary."
He added that B.C. is ready for what lies ahead. "We are responding to this unprecedented attack with record investments in infrastructure and by accelerating projects across the province, because the most important support that government can give to families right now is a good paying job."
Eby also pointed toward steps to diversify trade abroad and break down trade barriers between provinces.
He said it was Trump who negotiated the free trade agreement that he is now trying to rip and the tariffs are not the opening moves of a negotiation.
"This is not an invitation to negotiate," Eby said. "That is a threat and. We will not be shaken by these threats."
Responding to Eby, Rustad said B.C. needs to push back on the tariffs.
"We need to stand and protect people in British Columbia," he said. "We need to protect people in Canada. We are Canadians. We are British Columbians. I can say this and I will echo the words of the Premier – (Canada becoming) the 51st is not on. I will (never), and I know our caucus will never, accept the idea of being the 51st state."
Rustad then warned of hard days ahead.
"There is no question, and unfortunately, we are in a very vulnerable position," he said. "We have had somebody who has smacked us across the head and unfortunately, our hands, have been tied behind our back, because we have been left vulnerable."
Rustad then listed off various areas where B.C. depends on imports from the United States, including energy, food, aviation fuel and cancer care.
"We trusted the Americans as our trading partners and for good reason," he said. "But at the same time, we continually undermined our own province, our own people, with these vulnerabilities to the place now where we have a change south of the border and now we know who has been swimming without a bathing suite."
Rustad blamed successive governments for creating these vulnerabilities, adding B.C. faces a fiscal emergency.
"We need to get our spending under control," he said in reference to the new budget, which forecasts a record-setting deficit of nearly $11 billion. He also called for additional trade diversification and fewer restrictions in the natural resource sector.
"We need to stop with this partisan stuff, we need to stop with the woke nonsense, we need to get on with looking after people in this province."
Rustad later acknowledged B.C. could be doing more, pointing to his party's proposal to slap a carbon tax on thermal coal from the United States shipping through the Port of Vancouver.
"There are targeted steps that we need to take to make sure that we show that we are serious about this," he said. "But at the same time, there's much more we need to be doing to actually protect British Columbians by expanding our economy and making sure that we take out the barriers to get further investments that are needed in this province," he said.
When asked why B.C. should not follow Ontario in announcing tougher measures, Rustad said Ontario is in a very different situation.
"Ontario is not sending their patients down into the (U.S.)," he said. "Ontario is not required to buy electricity from the United States ... to keep the light on. Ontario is in a different situation as well with many other things. We are very vulnerable here in British Columbia and it is one of the big challenges that we have in terms of limiting how many steps we can take."
When asked how much blame his former party, the B.C. Liberals, bore for the current situation that he had described, Rustad acknowledged its role.
"There is no question," he said. "However, it has been particularly bad over the last decade," he said, pointing to NDP opposition to the Trans-Mountain pipeline and LNG projects. He also repeated calls to fully remove the carbon tax, calling it a job killer, and trade barriers between provinces.
Government plans to remove the consumer portion of the carbon tax if the federal government, as expected, drops the legal requirement and Eby said B.C. strongly supports the removal of inter-provincial trade barriers.
"Our goal is to eliminate any barriers between the provinces," he said. "I'm really excited and hopeful about this moment that we are in. Canadians are really pulling together and all of my colleagues across the country, regardless of political stripe and including Quebec, are embracing this moment, which is quite remarkable."
