Tuesday March 4, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC Premier David Eby addressed the media, government and stakeholders early this morning, opening his remarks by saying “these are unusual times”.
He appeared on stage during the BC Budget 2025 lockup event in Victoria, before media got down to work reviewing the budget.
He said that the budget would be delivered “in the context of a changing world”.
“Everyone is a key part of our success going forward. We’re going to pull together, we’re going to fight, and we’re going to win,” said BC’s Premier.
Shift in global politics:
Eby correlated that Ukrainians woke up to news of the United States ending military assistance and that Canada woke up to the new reality of 25% tariffs.
“This is a massive shift in global politics,” said Eby regarding how the United States seems to be rewarding Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, calling it “deeply disturbing to everyone who values freedom, democracy, sovereignty and the rule of order that has ensured prosperity for so many people around the world for generations”.
“It does put into perspective the news that many Canadians woke up to this morning, that our closest friend and ally and trading partner, with whom we have worked for generations, to intertwine our economics to raise the standard of living, to support families on both sides of the border,” said Eby.
“That order we depend on is also directly under threat and frankly has been betrayed,” said Eby.
It wasn’t about fentanyl:
Unfortunately Canada and the Premiers had been duped, thinking that the issue of fentanyl and border security was the US President’s real concern.
“I would say, that without doubt, the President’s demand were met. And yet it did not matter. It didn’t work,” said Eby, who was among Canada’s 13 premiers who went to Washington mid-February to try and stave off the tariff threat through talks with senior administration staff.
“Obviously, that’s not what this is about. It’s about something else. As the President as repeated many times, he wants to make Canada the 51st state. Canada will never be the 51st state. We didn’t ask for this fight that the President has brought to Canada and to British Columbia.
Standing up to the challenge:
“But I’ll tell you this, we’re not going to shrink from it,” said Eby with a tone of intense resolve.
“The President wants to hurt Canadians, he wants to hurt British Columbians, then we have no choice but to respond in kind to the United States,” said Eby.
“We’re in a strange moment where what worked in the past committing to address areas of shared concern with our partner the United States is met with threats to our sovereignty.
“But it has brought out a sense of pride, courage and solidarity among Canadians that hasn’t been seen for a long time,” said Eby. “This is a moment to take an attack and turn it into a source of strength for both ourselves and as a country.”
Straightforward response:
“The response is pretty straightforward. It’s a message to Americans about what this is going to cost them. Homes, cars, electricity and gasoline will go up in a way that is noticeable and significant for American families. Manufacturing and the inputs in that sector will see increased costs and products will be less competitive.
“Your jobs will be taken by people living in countries other than the United States,” said Eby in a pitch to Americans beyond, “who have access to the raw materials that Canada provides without tariffs”. Many Canadian politicians have taken this tack of addressing Americans through speeches made to local Canadian audiences; it’s not clear how much of that gets through.
Eby says BC has ‘market power’ to send a message. Many American jobs depend on the purchases made by British Columbians and by Canadians.
All red state liquor products will be pulled from Liquor Board store shelves. “We understand who’s attacking us. We understand where this is coming from,” said Eby with reference to governors and congress people who might choose to stand up to Trump that jobs in their communities are dependent on a good relationship with Canada.
Buy BC, Buy Canadian:
As already announced a few weeks ago, BC will “procure only Canada-made or buy Canadian first”, including crown corporations, health authorities, and core government.
Normally that can’t be the case due to trade agreements with the United States. Now it’s evident that trade violation is open for business, given Trump’s complete disregard for the CUSMA (NAFTA 2.0) that he himself signed a few years ago.
He hopes BC businesses will pivot to global and domestic markets in Canada in response to this threat.
Addressing tariff impacts in Budget 2025:
The federal government has “committed to the revenues from tariffs that they announced this morning will be redistributed to businesses and individuals who require that support”, said Eby. “We’ll make sure that that happens and the province will fill in the blanks, where there’s an area of concern that we have that isn’t being addressed by the federal government, we’ll make sure that we’re there.
“The best way to respond to the threats from the tariffs being imposed on us by the President is to grow our economy. To find ways to accelerate growth even in the face of these tariffs<‘ the Premier said.
Eby said that major projects will be accelerated across the province including in rural and remote areas that will be more directly affected by the tariffs. That’s a stance taken “to ensure that across the province that there are good jobs to support communities and to support families”.
He says those projects will now be done more quickly.
Finance Minister Brenda Bailey delivered the budget later in the morning, first to media and then publicly in the BC Legislative Assembly in the afternoon.
Multiple inputs:
He reminded the room that BC is working in close partnership with business, labour and Indigenous leaders and “multiple tables” including a tariff table, the softwood lumber advisory table (a sector that is expected to be particularly hard hit), and an agricultural table.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep food costs down as the value of the Canadian dollar goes down. We’ll ensure food security in the event that the President decides to attack Canada in different ways.
“These are conversations we never thought we’d have,” said Eby.
British Columbians have an important role to play. The premier encourages people to ‘buy BC, buy Canadian and to spend tourism dollars locally.
Best place to be:
Eby points out that BC and Canada have the resources that the world including electricity, critical minerals, lumber, agricultural products, tourism experiences — it’s all right here in British Columbia. BC is the gateway to the Pacific for the entire country.
“We are strong, we are tough, we are resilient and we are exceptional and we are ready to meet this moment,” said Eby.
“Canada will remain the true north strong and free. We will meet this moment with dignity, with courage — resolute in our willingness to stand up for what we believe in, to partner with people who share our values around the world.
===== RELATED:
- BC Budget 2025 waits to meet the moment (March 4, 2025)
- BC launches industry-led food economy task force (February 21, 2025)
- BC Finance Minister delivers pre-budget insights (February 13, 2025)
- Twenty-nine BC crown corporations must prioritize Canadian goods & services (February 3, 2025)
- Eby appoints BC cabinet committee on economy & tariffs (January 29, 2025)
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