British Columbia’s premier is assembling a “war room” over the looming trade war between Canada and the United States, with President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canadian goods coming as soon as Saturday.
A statement from Premier David Eby’s office says he is tasking a new cabinet committee with co-ordinating a “whole-of-government” approach aimed at protecting B.C. workers, businesses and the economy against the tariff threat.
The committee is described as a “day-to-day war room” chaired by Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon.
Eby says Trump’s proposed 25 percent tariffs are a “direct attack on B.C. families,” and every minister has an important role to play in fighting back.
The statement says B.C. has a three-point strategy, which includes responding with “tough counter-actions” and outreach to American decision makers, as well as diversifying B.C.’s trade markets, strengthening the economy by expediting projects and supporting industries and their workers.
Nine other B.C. ministers have been named to the committee, including Finance Minister Brenda Bailey, Energy Minister Adrian Dix, Jobs Minister Diana Gibson, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar and Mining Minister Jagrup Brar, among others.
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Trump has threatened to introduce 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods starting on Saturday, and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters at the White House on Tuesday the plan was “still on the books” for that day.
Eby said Tuesday he thought there was “still time for President Trump to work with us,” as Canadian officials have indicated a strong desire to address his concerns around the flow of illegal drugs and migrants from Canada into the United States.
But he said the province would ensure every harm inflicted on B.C. families by the tariffs is met and matched with a proportional response.
Eby said it may be that the only way for Americans to hear the message that tariffs are unjustified and harmful to people and businesses, both north and south of the border, is to feel the consequences of Canadian retaliation.
Americans would see higher prices even if Canada did nothing, he told a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday.
“But I believe that we can step up that pain, that we can target it to specific Republican districts where there is support for this agenda, and get the attention of folks about how integrated we are,” the premier said.
