BC Political Leaders Urge Premier to Take Greater Action in Response to Impending Trade Conflict

British Columbia politicians are urging the premier to take more action as the province gears up to deal with U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and Ottawa’s retaliatory measures.

This move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Saturday imposing a 10 percent duty on energy and a 25 percent duty on all other Canadian products.

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has presented a 10-point plan to respond to the tariffs and is calling on the NDP government to implement it immediately to safeguard B.C.’s economy.

Premier David Eby has introduced several initiatives in response to the upcoming tariffs, such as instructing the BC Liquor Distribution Branch to stop purchasing American liquor from “red states” and directing Crown corporations to cease buying American goods and services.

In a letter to Eby, Rustad outlines some of the measures in his plan, including negotiating the removal of interprovincial trade barriers, reducing the carbon tax, and reopening B.C. trade offices abroad.

At the same time, City of Surrey mayor Brenda Locke has written to Eby advising him to implement tax reductions and roll out a comprehensive relief package, similar to what was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, to support businesses and families.

Related Stories

Locke points out that Surrey has the largest border crossings on the West Coast, and over 20 percent of Surrey businesses have direct trade connections with the U.S., making the city particularly vulnerable in the face of the tariffs.