British Columbia will introduce legislation in the coming days that would give it the ability to levy fees on commercial trucks travelling from the United States through the province to Alaska, Premier David Eby said.
"The White House started a trade war we didn't want, and we must answer with strength," Eby said Tuesday at the provincial legislature.
The move against Alaska-bound trucks is part of a series of responses the province is planning after the "unprecedented attack" from the United States that put a 25 per cent tariff on many Canadian goods.
The premier said the responses also include the ability to remove interprovincial trade barriers between provinces and territories, and mandating that low-carbon fuels added to gasoline and diesel be produced in Canada.
His announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump paused tariffs on some Canadian and Mexican imports related to the auto industry that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, while potash levies were lowered to 10 per cent.
Eby said he's unmoved by the pause.
"The threats, the orders rescinded, put in place — it's all a deliberate tactic to weaken our resolve and it will not work," Eby said.
"He wants to annex Canada and turn us into the 51st state," Eby said. "Trump thinks he can bring us to our knees by threatening tariffs. Well, what he is seeing is that Canadians are standing tall in one voice."
Eby also said the tariffs imposed by Trump are a profound mistake and are hurting families on both sides of the border, and his team is working hard to ensure the province comes out stronger on the other side.
