Friday January 24, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A new BC task force on Trade and Economic Security has been in development over the past few weeks, according to Premier Eby’s office. The first meeting of the task force will be held this coming week (week of January 27).
The task force was announced on January 21.
The task force is co-chaired by Tamara Vrooman, President & CEO of YVR; Joanthan Price, President & CEO of Teck Resources; and Bridgitte Anderson from the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
The task force is to make sure that BC is “coordinating at a provincial level with companies, labour, Indigenous leadership, so we’re responding as province, united, to strengthen our economy to expand our economic growth even in this time of stress,” said Eby.
The tariff lens will be applied to everything BC now does in terms of economic decision-making, according to the premier’s office.
Shifting times:
“There is no new normal in terms of our trade relationship with the United States. He said the new US president is “threatening catastrophic tariffs” for both American and Canadians families against Canadian goods.
“The consequences of that for British Columbia would be quite significant, and for many people catastrophic,” said Eby on Tuesday about how 25% tariffs would impact the economy of this province.
For people in trade-exposed industries the BC government “is working hard for you”, said Eby.
On January 21, Eby emphasized the importance of strengthening the country, grow ing the economy, and working together to make sure that BC grows. That includes industry, labour and Indigenous communities, said Eby today.
BC has a three-part plan:
First, BC will support the federal government with a direct response of tariffs in a Republican district to make them understand that trade “increases prosperity in both countries. Stand strong with Canadians across the country.
On January 15 Eby announced BC’s three-part tariff response plan:
- To support federal government discussions and evaluations of retaliatory tariffs;
- Ensuring that our province, our economy, is adapting to the new realities for expedited permitting, through necessary response work that we were already initiating in the response to forestry and the impacts on that sector, as well as permitting times to make sure we are adapting – permits, response (forestry);
- Diversifying our trade partners, making make sure we’re in a position to respond to replace US customers that we may lose for our exports as a result of the tariffs.
===== RELATED:
- BC Premier calls Trump tariff threat ‘bizarre’, announces BC task force (January 21, 2025)
- BC Premier Eby on Canada’s strategy around US tariffs (January 15, 2025)
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