British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province and the country is strong enough to weather the storm in the threat to Canada's sovereignty coming from a former friend.
Eby took the unusual step of interrupting B.C.'s budget lockup to address how the province will respond after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods.
He says B.C. will again be pulling liquor off store shelves from "red" Republican states and that the government will prioritize purchasing Canadian products first, with a focus on provincial products.
Eby says that change to procurement policy would normally be considered a trade violation, but after Trump's move "all bets are off."
He says they'll be working closely with Indigenous, business and labour leaders to accelerate major projects in the province, and there will be supports in place for businesses to move their services or products away from the United States to domestic and global markets.
The premier is encouraging British Columbians to continue focusing on buying local or Canadian goods, and to avoid travel to the United States, if possible.
He says the province's response to Trump's tariffs is a message to Americans that everything is going to cost more "in a way that is noticeable and significant for American families."
He says American manufacturing jobs will be taken by people living in countries other than the United States who have access to the raw materials that Canada provides without tariffs.
Eby says while threats to Canadian sovereignty are "disgusting," the silver lining is that the conflict has brought out a sense of pride and solidarity among all Canadians that has not been seen for a long time.
"We're big enough to stand on our own two feet. This is a moment for us to take an attack, and turn it into a source of strength for ourselves as a province and as a country," he said.
Trump said a 25 per cent U.S. tariff will be placed on Canadian goods, while Canadian energy will face 10 per cent tariffs.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada will be going ahead with 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs.
Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on $155 billion worth of American goods, with $30 billion being applied immediately and the remaining $125 billion landing in 21 days.
Trudeau said Canada also will challenge Trump's actions by filing dispute resolution claims with the World Trade Organization and through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Eby's government cancelled its election promise of a $1,000 grocery rebate and froze some public-sector hiring, in advance of what Eby has called economic warfare by Trump.
While Trump's order imposing the tariffs references national security concerns about drugs and illegal immigration at the Canadian border, in a post today on Truth Social he says that if companies move to the U.S. there will be no tariffs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.