B.C. Premier David Eby says the provincial government is going to "fill in the gaps" on federal government assistance should the United States impose tariffs on Canadian goods this Saturday, as indicated by President Donald Trump.
Eby likened the response to that of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assist people and businesses impacted by the trade war.
Eby said the federal government has prepared measures to support Canadians affected by tariffs.
"We're going to ensure they keep their word and that they treat this the same as the COVID response.
"We will support the federal government on matching tariffs," said Eby.
But, said Eby, if federal support misses some people and businesses Eby said the provincial government will assist.
Eby said retaliatory tariff money will and should be redirected to impacted businesses and individuals.
"We were hoping the president was just angling for a renegotiation ... but it appears he's ready," said Eby.
He added that he supports targeting Republican states that support the tariffs.
Eby has previously said he is on board with including B.C. exports in a package of retaliatory tariffs. Eby said other measures could disrupt American commerce, such as imposing fees on U.S. trucks transiting the province to and from Alaska. Eby also implored British Columbians to cancel vacations in the U.S. should tariffs be imposed.
A preliminary assessment by the B.C. government published Jan.16 found the province would see the loss of 124,000 jobs and $69 billion in economic activity over the next three years.
The province’s GDP stands at $336 billion today and would only rise to $345 billion by 2028, rather than $366 billion under normal circumstances.
The economic decline would necessitate government belt tightening, including cancellation of a middle-class tax cut promised last October by the BC NDP, said Eby.
