Premier David Eby said Wednesday (Jan. 15) that all provinces need to do their part when it comes to absorbing and responding to U.S. tariffs that could come as early as Jan. 20 when Donald Trump becomes president of the United States again.
"If there are tariffs that are impacting B.C., then they need to be similarly impacting other provinces across the country," he said, following a meeting with his provincial and territorial colleagues as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"We can't be turning to B.C. and Alberta to carry all of the weight of the retaliation against the United States. It's a shared responsibility. This is economic wartime and when we are in that situation as Canadians, we all pitch in to protect our people, to protect our jobs here in Canada and protect our country."
Eby's comments came during a separate news conference with reporters after a larger press conference in Ottawa that featured Trudeau and Ontario's Doug Ford among other premiers and territorial leaders but not Alberta's Danielle Smith.
While Smith had participated in the meeting with the other First Ministers remotely, she had not signed their communiqu茅 because her province would "simply not agree to export tariffs on our energy or other products" according to a social media post. "(Nor) do we support a ban on exports of these same products," she said. "We will take whatever actions are needed to protect the livelihoods of Albertans from such destructive federal policies."
When Eby received a question about Smith's tweet, he said that Smith "needs to do what she feels she needs to do with respect to her (Trudeau-critical) home audience."
He added that he would "stand strong with premiers to make sure that we are not limiting the tools available to the federal government to respond to this, to make sure that the tariffs are as short as possible if they are imposed."
But Eby also tried to signal some agreement with Smith. "The key message that I had, that I think is entirely consistent with what Premier Smith was raising, is that it needs to be regionally proportionate."
He later added with respect to Smith, who had visited Trump in Florida, that it is not a "pre-condition" to participate in these meeting to "agree with every tactic" that could be used.
"Premier Smith is a vital part of the team," Eby said.
Trudeau as well as the other premiers and territorial leaders also faced questions about Smith's lacking signature on the communiqu茅 and proportionality.
Ford offered perhaps the most forceful rejoinder to Smith's refusal to sign the statement.
"I respect that she's concerned about protecting her energy and that's her choice," he said. But I have a little different theory. 'Protect your jurisdiction, but country comes first.' Canada is a priority and I don't believe in jeopardizing one sector or another. Premier Smith's oil is Ontario's (automobile) sector, right? We all have different views and we can respect each other's views. But at the end of the day, when the tariffs come, it's going to affect Albertans...no one is exempt."
Ford also warned against thinking that Trump would somehow spare one province. "Trump is a brilliant negotiator," Ford said. "(He) is sitting there with a big smile on his face thinking, 'wow, I'm going to divide and conquer.'"
Eby said in his opening remarks to reporters that B.C. argued for three broad points. "First of all, there must a response," he said. "Second is, we are going to use this opportunity to strengthen our economy provincially. And the third is that diversification of markets is critically important in terms of response."
Eby added that B.C. supports Ottawa's proposal to respond to American tariffs with Canadian tariffs on American goods entering Canada as well "as the possibilty of export taxes as well export bans of particular and strategic commodities" from Canada to the United States, including such goods coming from British Columbia.
Eby said he also argued for the appointment of a non-partisan individual, who can handle the tariff file during the leadership race within the federal Liberal Party to replace Trudeau and this year's federal election, which could happen early as spring.
Eby said he advocated for lowering trade barriers between Canadian provinces with "many premiers" supportive of the idea, adding that he also asked Ottawa to accelerate federal approval processes for economic projects in British Columbia, including critical minerals, a potential point of leverage.
Eby added that he also pushed for diversifying Canada's international trading ties while also strengthening political ties with other jurisdictions (like the European Union) "that are also facing tariff threats to work together" in the face of the threatened tariffs.
Since 2017, Canada has had a free trade agreement with the European Union, a market larger than the United States. But the agreement does not nearly have the same significance for Canada than its trading ties with the United States.
Whereas Canada-EU trade in combined goods and services reached a value of $158.1 billion in 2023, the value of trade with the United States accounted for almost $961 billion in 2022. Overall, Canadian trade with the U.S. accounted for about two-thirds of Canada's total trade balance. But the relationship also cuts the other way and several speakers at the Ottawa press conference, as well as Eby stressed that the fact that U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods would ultimately hurt American consumers as well.
Wednesday's meeting of Canada's First Ministers has been the latest in a series of high-profile meetings since Trump's tariff threats and included Canada's ambassador to the United States (Kirsten Hillman). The meeting also included what Eby called a "very good border proposal" from Ottawa to deal with illegal migrants (mainly a Quebec problem) and drugs crossing into Canada (mainly a B.C. problem).
Trump had linked the tariffs to those global issues, even though experts consider those problems of a minor nature when compared to illegal immigrants and drugs crossing into the United States from Mexico and other locations in Central and South America.
Eby said all participants of today's meeting have agreed to meet again, but did not give a date. Smith has announced that she would attend Trump's inauguration and a high-ranking delegation plans to travel to Washington D.C. on Feb. 12.
Eby touched on these dates, as well as expectations among his colleagues.
"Obviously, we are getting very close to the Trump inauguration and it was consensus around the table that we need to be prepared for the full imposition of the 25 per cent tariff proposed by president-elect Trump, although we all hope that will not be the case."
