Premier David Eby says protecting British Columbians from the potential impact of U.S. tariffs will be taken as seriously as the relief response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He says every decision being taken by his ministers, including plans for next month’s budget, will be made through the lens of a “potentially protracted trade war.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods starting Feb. 1.
Eby says a package of relief could include pandemic-style “employment insurance” as well as grants and loans to get businesses through the impact of the tariffs on B.C., which could be more serious than the 2008 recession.
Eby says every harm inflicted on British Columbians should be “met and matched” with a response to the United States.
He says he would support matching tariffs on U.S. goods, and that any funds collected should be “immediately deployed” to help businesses survive and diversify their markets beyond the United States.
Eby says the province will hope for the best and prepare for the worst as it waits to see exactly what form the U.S. tariffs will take.
