Eby says B.C. won’t run anti-tariff ads alone as it had planned

British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province won’t be running a series of anti-tariff advertisements for the American public on its own.

Eby, speaking alongside Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, says the shift in strategy is to ensure communications with U.S. authorities are aligned with federal officials as they discuss softwood lumber tariffs from the United States.

Eby says the ad campaign came up at a Vancouver summit on how to prop up the forest industry in the face of American fees and tariffs.

“I knew that it was a source of anxiety, including potentially the federal government, given the reaction to the Ontario tariffs,” Eby said in front of reporters.

He says LeBlanc and his team wanted an “integrated approach” and B.C. will ensure future communications are in line when it comes to speaking with the Americans.

“Going forward, we are going to ensure that our communications are in line when the time comes to speak with Americans, we will do it in partnership with the federal government,” the premier added.

The decision comes after U.S. President Donald Trump last month blamed an anti-tariff ad campaign by Ontario for his cancellation of trade talks with Canada.

Trump also added an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.

LeBlanc explains that the softwood lumber industry is a critical industry to the fabric of the whole country and was part of their negotiations with the U.S.

“I committed to the premier, obviously, that we would work with him and colleagues when and if those negotiations resume,” he said at the press conference.

“We will, as a national government, of course, be having conversations with other partners across the country as we quickly put together measures that will support this sector in British Columbia,” he added.

Eby says Canada’s forestry sector is larger than the automotive sector and deserves to be treated with respect.

In September, the Trump administration imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Canadian companies ranging from 26 per cent to more than 47 per cent, then threatened to add another 10 per cent last month, claiming Canada’s industry is a risk to U.S. national security.

With files from David Nadalini.