What's Trump's endgame with global tariffs? Canadian officials say they have a clearer idea
U.S. plans tariffs for April 2, and will then adjust for nations that play nice: Ontario representative
After a lengthy meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's top trade officials on Thursday, Canadian representatives say they have a clearer understanding of the rationale behind Trump's insistence on tariffs — not just on Canada but on the whole world.
"Tariffs are now a global policy of the United States," said David Paterson, Ontario's representative in Washington. "And this is a historic change to global trading patterns, and [the Americans are] very aware of that."
Paterson, along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, and federal cabinet ministers, met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — the point people on Trump's trade agenda.
In an interview on Power & Politics, Paterson told host David Cochrane that the Canadians and Americans had a 90-minute meeting and the first half-hour was "a master class" from Lutnick in breaking down the U.S. position on tariffs.
The focus of the U.S. government is dealing with its yearly deficit in federal spending, Paterson said. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the federal government ran a $1.83 trillion US deficit in the 2024 fiscal year.
Ontario
Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media after meeting with U.S. Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer,
in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
There are three things the U.S. government is doing that affect the deficit, Paterson added.
The first is a major budget resolution that calls for trillions of dollars in spending and tax cuts, which is "something that must not increase that deficit further while keeping tax levels and competitiveness low," Paterson said.
The other two are measures to help make the spending and tax cuts happen without growing the deficit, including slashing government spending through Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and tariffs, which are meant to be a new revenue source and attract investment into the United States.
Paterson said the American plan is to impose tariffs by sector across countries all around the world on April 2. From there, the countries that get along with the U.S. the best will be "first in line" to adjust or mitigate the tariffs.
"This is the policy. This is the way they're going forward," Paterson said. "And I think [Thursday] gave us a lot of clarity."
In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday, Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., said the Americans walked the Canadians through Trump's trade agenda and gave them a chance to ask questions and explain how Trump's trade disruptions are hurting the Canadian economy.
Hillman described the meeting as "concrete" and appreciated the conversations, but she noted that nothing changed in terms of the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S.
Kirsten
Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., described the meeting in
Washington as 'concrete' and says the Americans are focused on the April
2 tariff deadline. (Jennifer Chevalier/CBC)
The ambassador told host Rosemary Barton that the Americans know Canada will respond to Trump's tariffs on April 2 and that Trump's team is "deeply focused" on that deadline.
"It's the rest of the world that is going to now be brought into their plan. And that is [the Americans'] singular focus," Hillman said. "After that happens, then we'll see what they think the next step might be."
Following the Thursday meeting, Ford told reporters he feels like "the temperature is being lowered, the temperature's coming down" after the bilateral talks.
"This, I can honestly say, was the best meeting I've ever had coming down here. We want the best outcome for both countries. We're like a family — sometimes there's tension between families, but that was an extremely productive meeting. I'm feeling positive," the premier said.
Canada-U.S. tariffs
The federal government announced a plan on Wednesday to slap tariffs on $29.8 billion worth of American goods to hit back against Trump after he imposed punishing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Dominic LeBlanc, who was serving as finance minister at the time of the announcement, said Canada "will not stand idly by while our iconic steel and aluminum industries are being unfairly targeted."
LeBlanc said the American products being hit with these tariffs include U.S.-made steel and aluminum, computers, sports equipment and certain cast iron products, among others.
Canada announces $29.8 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goodsTrump's tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, which took effect just after midnight Wednesday, are separate from the other tariffs Trump levied on Canada last week — and later partially dialled back — to supposedly pressure the country to do more at the border on drugs and migrants.
Canada immediately levied tariffs on $30 billion worth of American goods in response to those initial tariffs — and didn't take them off even after Trump rejigged his tariff regime.
All told, Canada is applying a 25 per cent tariff to some $60 billion worth of American goods as payback for both Trump's border- and metals-related tariffs.
The government is also holding back tariffs on another roughly $100 billion worth of American goods that will be imposed if Trump goes ahead with a third round of what he's calling "reciprocal" tariffs on goods from around the world on April 2.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from J.P. Tasker
B.C. woman returns home after being detained by U.S. immigration officials
Jasmine Mooney, 35, was detained after trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico, family says
The mother of a B.C. woman who was detained for nearly two weeks by immigration officials in the United States says her daughter is back on home soil.
Alexis Eagles confirmed Saturday that her daughter, Jasmine Mooney, landed at the Vancouver International Airport at around midnight and returned to her home in the city.
Eagles said she was at the airport to greet her 35-year-old daughter, along with friends of Mooney's.
B.C. woman detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be deported back to CanadaSpeaking to CBC News earlier Thursday, Eagles said her daughter — who grew up in Yukon and had been living in B.C. until last year — had been in the custody of U.S. immigration officials since March 3 when her visa was denied as she tried to enter California from Mexico.
She said Mooney, a businesswoman and former actress, was placed in "inhumane" conditions in a cell holding 30 people with limited bathroom facilities.
In a statement to CBC News on Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Mooney was detained for "not having legal documentation" to be in the states.
Mooney was processed in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order that subjected "all aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law" to possible arrest, the enforcement agency said.
On Thursday, B.C. Premier David Eby said he had urged the Canadian government to do all it could through diplomatic channels to ensure her return.
Eby said while he didn't know the details of the case, it was reinforcing Canadians' anxiety about their southern neighbours stemming from the current rancour in U.S.-Canada relations.
"The nature of our relationship is so fraught right now that this case makes us all wonder, what about our relatives who are working in the States?" Eby said.
Eagles said she had already determined she "would not be travelling to the States for the foreseeable future" in response the Trump administration's actions, but her daughter's ordeal had "solidified" her mindset.
With files from CBC's Yvette Brend, and Paul Tukker
Judge blocks Trump's use of centuries-old war measure to speed up deportations
Alien Enemies Act of 1798 would give Trump policy leeway amid his immigration crackdown
A U.S. federal judge on Saturday temporarily barred the implementation of an 18th-century law that gives Donald Trump policy leeway to speed up deportations hours after the president invoked it in his campaign to combat a Venezuelan gang he claims is invading the country.
James E. Boasberg, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said he needed to issue his order immediately because the government was already flying migrants it claimed were newly deportable under Trump's proclamation to El Salvador and Honduras to be incarcerated there. El Salvador already agreed this week to take up to 300 migrants that the Trump administration designated as gang members.
"I do not believe I can wait any longer and am required to act," Boasberg said during a Saturday evening hearing in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward.
"A brief delay in their removal does not cause the government any harm," he added, noting they remain in government custody but ordering that any planes in the air be turned around.
The ruling came hours after Trump claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) was invading the United States and invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a sweeping wartime authority that allows the president broader leeway on policy and executive action to speed up mass deportations.
The act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, all during wars. Its most recent application was during the Second World War, when it was used to incarcerate Germans and Italians as well as for the mass internment of Japanese-American civilians.
In a proclamation released just over an hour before Boasberg's hearing, Trump contended that Tren de Aragua was effectively at war with the United States.
"Over the years, Venezuelan national and local authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their territories to transnational criminal organizations, including TdA," Trump's statement reads. "The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States, and which poses a substantial danger to the United States."
The order could let the administration deport any migrant it identifies as a member of the gang without going through regular immigration proceedings, and also could remove other protections under criminal law for people the government targeted.
The Tren de Aragua gang originated in a prison in the South American country and accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nation's economy came undone last decade.
U.S. Drug Enforcement agents and Colombian police escort an alleged member of the Tren de Aragua gang in Bogota on Feb. 6. (Fernando Vergara/The Associated Press)
Trump and his allies have turned the gang into the face of the alleged threat posed by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and formally designated it a "foreign terrorist organization" last month.
Authorities in several countries have reported arrests of Tren de Aragua members, even as Venezuela's government claims to have eliminated the criminal organization.
Flurry of litigation
The government said Trump actually signed the order Friday night. Immigration lawyers noticed the federal government suddenly moving to deport Venezuelans who they would not otherwise have the legal right to expel from the country, and scrambled to file lawsuits to block what they believed was a pending proclamation.
Boasberg issued an initial order at 9:20 a.m. ET on Saturday blocking the Trump administration from deporting five Venezuelans named as plaintiffs in the ACLU suit who were being detained by the government and believed they were about to be deported. The Trump administration appealed that order, contending that halting a presidential act before it has been announced would cripple the executive branch.
If the order were allowed to stand, "district courts would have license to enjoin virtually any urgent national-security action just upon receipt of a complaint," the Justice Department wrote in its appeal.
Trump moves quickly on immigration raids, arrestsBoasberg then scheduled the afternoon hearing on whether to expand his order to all people who could be targeted under Trump's declaration.
Deputy assistant attorney general Drew Ensign contended that the president had broad latitude to identify threats to the country and act under the 1798 law. He noted the U.S. Supreme Court allowed President Harry Truman to continue to hold a German citizen in 1948, three years after the Second World War ended, under the measure.
"This would cut very deeply into the prerogatives of the president," Ensign said of an injunction.
But Lee Gelernt of the ACLU noted the law has only been invoked three times before and contended that Trump didn't have the authority to use it against a criminal gang rather than a recognized state. Boasberg said that precedent on the question seemed tricky but that the ACLU had a reasonable chance of success on those arguments, and so the order was merited.
Boasberg halted deportations for those in custody for up to 14 days, and scheduled a Friday hearing in the case.
The flurry of litigation shows the significance of Trump's declaration, the latest step by the administration to expand presidential power. Ensign argued that, as part of its reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, Congress had given the president power to delegate "transnational" organizations threats on the level of recognized states. And Gelernt warned that the Trump administration could simply issue a new proclamation to use the Alien Enemies Act against another migrant gang, like MS-13, which has long been one of Trump's favourite targets.
PM Carney to make sovereignty announcement in Iqaluit
CTV News186 Comments
BREAKING NEWS: JD Vance Issues Emphatic Defense Of Trump Tariffs In Speech On Economic Dynamism
Forbes Breaking News 765 Comments
Carney announces Canada will partner with Australia on Arctic over-the-horizon radar system | LIVE
Live chat
Reminder that the Conservatives refused to increase spending to support the Canadian Forces and the Veterans.Carney expected to meet King Charles during his first trip abroad as prime minister
PM will also meet with the French president in Paris, Nunavut premier in Iqaluit
Just days after being sworn into office, Prime Minister Mark Carney will embark on his first trip abroad in the new job. Carney's office says he'll travel to Paris, then to London where he's expected to meet with King Charles only weeks after his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, held his own meeting with the monarch.
On Saturday afternoon, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) released details of Carney's trip, which also includes a stop in Iqaluit. The PMO said the trip is meant "to strengthen two of our closest and longest-standing economic and security partnerships, and to reaffirm Canada's Arctic security and sovereignty."
Carney will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron while in Paris, according to the PMO.
"With the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement as the foundation, the leaders will focus on their shared commitment to build stronger economic, commercial, and defence ties," the PMO said in a news release.
While in London, Carney will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "Their discussions will focus on strengthening transatlantic security, growing the AI sector and the strong commercial relationship between Canada and the United Kingdom," the PMO said.
France's
President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Britain's Prime Minister Keir
Starmer are seen at the European leaders' summit to discuss Ukraine, at
Lancaster House, London, on March 2. (Justin Tallis/The Associated Press)
The two prime ministers will also "explore ways to deepen bilateral trade" through the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the PMO added.
Carney is also expected to have an audience with King Charles, meaning the monarch will have met with two Canadian prime ministers in the span of roughly two weeks.
In early March, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with King Charles to discuss "matters of importance to Canada and to Canadians." Their meeting came as questions swirled over why the monarch had not publicly commented on U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada.
The PMO did not share any information on what Carney will discuss with the King.
On top of meeting with Trudeau, King Charles has made some moves to show solidarity with Canada against Trump's annexation talks. He wore his Canadian medals during a high-profile military visit, planted a red maple tree on the grounds of Buckingham Palace and gave his personal Canadian liaison in Parliament a sword.
King
Charles bestows a new ceremonial sword to the Usher of the Black Rod of
the Senate of Canada Gregory Peters with Speaker of the Senate of
Canada Raymonde Gagne present, at Buckingham Palace in London on
Wednesday. (Aaron Chown/PA)
But Charles has not spoken publicly about the Canada-U.S. friction. He also created a stir in late February by inviting Trump to Balmoral, a royal estate in Scotland. The invitation was brought to Trump by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a visit to the White House.
Carney travelling to Iqaluit
During his visit to Iqaluit, Carney will meet with members of the Iqaluit Patrol of 1 Canadian Rangers Patrol Group — "a group critical to Arctic stability and security," the PMO said in its news release.
The prime minister will also meet with Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok "to learn more about the evolving needs and priorities of Arctic and Northern communities," the PMO said.
Nunavut
Premier P.J. Akeeagok meets with then prime minister Justin Trudeau,
not shown, in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 24, 2022. (Justin Tang/CP)
In early March, Akeeagok said his territory relies on imported goods and is vulnerable to the effects of a trade war with the U.S.
"It is very unfortunate that the U.S. has brought forward this tariff war on us all," said Akeeagok in an interview with CBC News at the time.
After Trump launched his trade war, the Nunavut government said it's "actively monitoring" supply chain disruptions and working with contractors and suppliers to make sure infrastructure projects — which are now cast into uncertainty — can continue.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Liny Lamberink
From: Blois, Kody - M.P. <Kody.Blois@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Don't 'mess with Alaska,' U.S. senator warns B.C., even as state Republicans affirm friendship with Canada
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for emailing my office, I appreciate you reaching out to me.
Due to the high volume of emails that our office receives daily, there may be a delay in our response. Please note that we give priority to correspondence received from the constituents of Kings-Hants, and as such, we ask that you include your residential address and telephone number in your communication, to better assist you.
My constituency office is monitoring in person visits, so a phone call or email notice to set up an appointment prior to would be greatly appreciated.
Our office hours are:
Monday to Thursday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (closed for lunch from 12:30 - 1:30 pm)
Friday 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Consitutency Office (902) 542-4010
Parliament Hill Office (613) 995-8231
The Government of Canada has no jurisdiction over road maintenance, the Nova Scotia Health Authority, Community Services or forestry. For those concerns within provincial jurisdiction you will need to contact your Nova Scotia MLA.
Find yours at: https//enstools.
Kody Blois
Member of Parliament
Kings–Hants
Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Don't 'mess with Alaska,' U.S. senator warns B.C., even as state Republicans affirm friendship with Canada
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Subject: Absence Re: Don't 'mess with Alaska,' U.S. senator warns B.C., even as state Republicans affirm friendship with Canada
To: <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
--
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Subject: Don't 'mess with Alaska,' U.S. senator warns B.C., even as state Republicans affirm friendship with Canada
To: <Representative.Chuck.Kopp@akleg.gov>, premier <premier@gov.yk.ca>, Donald Trump Jr. <donjr@email.donjr.com>, <andre.fortin@teamppc.ca>, prontoman1 <prontoman1@protonmail.com>, <sebastien.corhino@gmail.com>, <brendan.hanley@parl.gc.ca>, Rene.Arseneault <rene.arseneault@parl.gc.ca>, Jenica.Atwin <Jenica.Atwin@parl.gc.ca>, Richard.Bragdon <Richard.Bragdon@parl.gc.ca>, Serge.Cormier <serge.cormier@parl.gc.ca>, Wayne.Long <wayne.long@parl.gc.ca>, rob.moore <Rob.Moore@parl.gc.ca>, Ginette.PetitpasTaylor <ginette.petitpastaylor@parl.gc.ca>, jake.stewart <jake.stewart@parl.gc.ca>, John.Williamson <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, <gudie.hutchings@parl.gc.ca>, <yvonne.jones@parl.gc.ca>, <ken.mcdonald@parl.gc.ca>, Seamus.ORegan <seamus.oregan@parl.gc.ca>, <Churence.Rogers@parl.gc.ca>, <clifford.small@parl.gc.ca>, <joanne.thompson@parl.gc.ca>, <Jaime.Battiste@parl.gc.ca>, <Kody.Blois@parl.gc.ca>, <Chris.dEntremont@parl.gc.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, Yves-Francois.Blanchet <Yves-Francois.Blanchet@parl.gc.ca>
Cc: <dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com>, <andrew.kurjata@cbc.ca>, <Kory@rubiconstrategy.com>, washington field <washington.field@ic.fbi.gov>, Mark.Blakely <Mark.Blakely@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, Marco.Mendicino <Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>, Sean.Fraser <Sean.Fraser@parl.gc.ca>, Michael.Duheme <Michael.Duheme@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, <contact@airquotesmedia.com>, rfife <rfife@globeandmail.com>, Robert. Jones <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, David.Akin <David.Akin@globalnews.ca>, hon.melanie.joly <hon.melanie.joly@canada.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, fin.minfinance-financemin.fin <fin.minfinance-financemin.fin@canada.ca>, <ps.ministerofpublicsafety-ministredelasecuritepublique.sp@ps-sp.gc.ca>, pierre.poilievre <pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, jagmeet.singh <jagmeet.singh@parl.gc.ca>, <Loretta@canadaspremiers.ca>, elizabeth.may <elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>, premier <premier@leg.gov.mb.ca>, Office of the Premier <scott.moe@gov.sk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.bc.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nl.ca>, premier <premier@gov.pe.ca>, <premierministre@quebec.ca>, Premier <premier@novascotia.ca>, premier <premier@gov.ab.ca>, premier <premier@gnb.ca>, <pakeeagok6@gov.nu.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nt.ca>, <samvekemans@gmail.com>
From: premier <premier@yukon.ca>
Date: Tue, Dec 5, 2023 at 3:44 AM
Subject: Automatic reply: [EXT] CBC/Radio-Canada president Catherine Tait said she hopes Canadians "won't notice too much."
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
On behalf of The Honourable Ranj Pillai, Premier of Yukon, we would like to acknowledge receipt of your email.
Please note that this is an automated response to let you know that your
email has been received and that it will be reviewed at the earliest
opportunity.
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Premier’s Correspondence Team
Executive Council
Government of Yukon
Yukon premier testifies on Alaska legislature resolution recognizing Canada’s sovereignty
Premier
Ranj Pillai holds a press conference on tariffs at the Yukon government
cabinet office on March 5, 2025. Pillai testified about Canada-Alaska
relations on March 14, 2025.
Amid a trade war and threats of annexing Canada led by U.S. President Donald Trump, the Alaska State Legislature will be debating an amended resolution, co-sponsored by Republican and Democrat representatives, that recognizes Canada’s sovereignty and longstanding ties between Alaska and Canada.
The Alaska House Resources Committee discussed House Joint Resolution 11 on recognizing and honouring Canada-Alaska relations on the afternoon of March 14, when Premier Ranj Pillai testified about the importance of this critical relationship for both sides of the shared international border.
Changes to the resolution emphasized Alaska’s unique relationship to Canada as its only neighbour, reinforced support for Canada's sovereignty and added recognition to the historic trade and cultural ties of Indigenous groups across the border, the committee heard.
When asked why Canada’s sovereignty is mentioned, Representative Chuck Kopp, who sponsored the resolution, said: “It comes from our country referring to them as the 51st state.”
When asked for clarification, Kopp clarified it was the U.S. leadership making the claim.
“We are at a moment in time of global uncertainty, worldwide and more locally here at home, of uncertain footing based on trade, economic frictions that are really engulfing the North American continent,” Kopp told the committee.
“House Joint Resolution 11 is an unqualified affirmation of the strong bonds of friendship, shared history, mutual defence and support that have bound our state to Canada over centuries, and that the friendship, trust and affection that we hold for our Canadian neighbours extends to their identity as citizens of the sovereign nation of Canada.”
Testimonies touched on the history of relations, mutual support in emergencies, tourism and economic partnerships built over hundreds or thousands of years.
“We share an over 1,100-mile peaceful border with them and our history of cooperation, mutual respect and shared values is without comparison in modern history,” Kopp said.
“We can't imagine Alaska without Canada.”
Kopp commented on the ingrained connections between the state and the neighbouring country.
“Many Alaskans have family just across the border, whether it's a sibling in Whitehorse or cousin in Dawson City, friends in Vancouver, generations of Alaskans and Canadians have visited each other for weddings, snow machine trips, hunting trips and holidays.”
“With $596 million in Alaskan exports and $753 million in imports annually, without Canada, Alaska's economy would be cut off from key markets and critical supply chains.”
Kopp noted the Canadian produce, dairy and packaged good on Alaska store shelves, fishers in Alaska relying on Canadian ports and Canadian investments in Alaska mining and oil industries, with more than 47 Canadian-owned businesses operating in the state.
He cited Canadian troops responding in the battlefield and Alaska businesses sending fuel and food to keep Yukon communities running when severe weather shuts down supply routes.
“Today, we are facing global uncertainty, national uncertainty across our border. The temperature is rising between the countries based on economic reasons,” he said.
“This resolution recognizes that relationships matter and are far more important than maybe the almighty dollar at times, and we have to stand up for that and recognize that the longest partner that Alaska has ever had and will ever have in the future has been our partnership with the nation of Canada, and we are speaking to that relationship, because keeping our partnership with Canada strong isn't just good policy, it's essential to the Alaskan way of life and to who we are as a people.”
Kopp indicated that energy costs in Alaska will go up significantly. He named industries that will be impacted by tariffs.
When asked about drugs going over the Canada border into the U.S., Kopp said: “I don't have any such concern.”
“The U.S. Border Patrol itself reports that less than one per cent of all fentanyl comes across the Canadian border, certainly substantially more than that comes across the southern border,” he said.
“Also, illegal crossings are just minuscule compared to the southern border. In fact, illegal crossings have dropped 89 per cent in the last 10 years. So, Canada is aggressively defending that border in our interest.”
Kopp mentioned memorandums of understanding between Alaskan municipalities and Canadian governments for emergency support and response.
“The relationship is so strong that we cannot overstate how important it is for our governments to work this out amicably and as quickly as possible. That's the spirit of this,” he said.
The Yukon premier made his stance on Canada’s sovereignty known in his opening lines.
“I'm joining you from the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council in Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon Territory in Canada, a country that is not and will never be the 51st state,” Pillai told the committee.
Pillai spoke about the importance of cooperation in building the Alaska Highway during Second World War.
Pillai indicated the relations between the Yukon government and the government of Alaska, through Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy, who is a Trump proponent, are stronger than ever. He cited a deal between the two that commits U.S. money to pay for Alaska Highway fixes in the Yukon.
“Like all good neighbours when emergencies happen, Alaskans and Yukoners come to each other's aid,” he said, noting the Whitehorse international airport serves as critical transport point for the U.S. Air Force and a refuelling and emergency landing location, “as it did, most notably on Sept. 11, 2001.”
“But our relationship goes far beyond infrastructure and emergencies. Sport and recreation tie our two jurisdictions closely together,” Pillai continued.
“The Trump administration’s unjustified tariffs and the frequent threats made by the Trump administration about Canada's economic and national sovereignty are creating chaos, challenges and disruption for people and businesses on both sides of the border.”
Pillai encouraged the committee to support the resolution.
The resolution passed at the committee level. It will go on to second reading and debate on the floor. Resolutions express the will of the legislature but aren't laws.
Kopp’s office indicated the resolution is expected to move along relatively quickly.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
Representative
Chuck Kopp
State Capitol Room 204
Juneau AK, 99801
Phone: 907-465-3892
Fax:
1500 W. Benson Blvd.
Anchorage AK, 99503
Phone: 907-269-0108
Fax:
Chuck Kopp, a lifelong Alaskan, is the
son of educators and grew up in the communities of Newhalen, Kenai, and
Anchorage. Chuck earned a B.A. in Justice from the University of Alaska,
Anchorage and chose a career in public safety that spanned over 20
years. He served in the Anchorage, Kenai, and Bristol Bay Borough Police
Departments. Chuck graduated from the National Training Center of
Polygraph Science as a certified expert polygraph examiner — skills he
used in successfully resolving three homicides on the Kenai Peninsula
where the victims’ bodies were never recovered.
For seven years, Chuck served as chief of police for the City of Kenai
and as acting city manager from 2005 to 2006. Governors Murkowski and
Palin both appointed him to an oversight role on their transition teams
with respect to the Department of Public Safety. Chuck has served the
State of Alaska as a gubernatorial appointee to both the Alaska Judicial
Council and Alaska Police Standards Council. From 2009 to 2016, he
worked in the Alaska Legislature as chief of staff for two Senators.
Chuck represented South Anchorage in the State House from 2017 to 2021.
He then co-founded Winfluence Strategies, an Anchorage-based public
affairs firm specializing in corporate strategy and policy development.
In 2024, he was elected by his community again and was seated in the
34th Alaska State Legislature in January 2025.
Chuck is driven by a commitment to strengthening Alaska’s public safety,
education, and transportation workforce, promoting responsible resource
development, and securing reliable energy.
Chuck and his wife Trish have been married for 37 years. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Yukon
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Conservative | NDP | Green | PPC | Rhinoceros | |||||||||
| Yukon |
|
Brendan Hanley[11] |
|
Ryan Leef[367] |
|
|
|
Gabrielle Dupont[20] |
|
André Fortin[3] |
|
Jean-Michel Harvey[368] |
|
Brendan Hanley |
Following contest, Ryan Leef will be federal Conservative candidate for Yukon
Ryan Leef will be the Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the run for Yukon MP in the next federal elections, according to Leef and a member who attended the announcement.
By phone on March 16, Leef, a former Conservative Yukon MP from May 2011 to August 2015, confirmed that he was selected over past Yukon Party MLA Patrick Rouble in Whitehorse over the weekend.
Leef wasn’t immediately available for interview.
The announcement was made at the Sternwheeler Hotel and Conference Centre after the voting period on the evening of Saturday, March 15.
Information that went out to members and was provided to the News indicated candidate speeches were set to take place there from 12-12:30 p.m. and voting was open from 12:30-5 p.m.
The candidate forum wasn’t open to the media; it was for party members only, the News was told by someone involved in the party’s election process after arriving at the gathering. The News was asked to leave the event.
The News has requested a breakdown of the vote and voter turnout from the party’s head media office but didn’t get a response by publication.
The News reached out to ask Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for comment on the new candidate.
Federal elections have yet to be called.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
Love for land inspires Gabrielle Dupont to seek Yukon MP seat under Green party
Gabrielle Dupont arrived in the Yukon 18 years ago with a backpack and a few books for the summer.
She never left.
Dupont said it’s a common origin story that she shares with other Yukoners. After a stint in the public sector, she started her own business in architectural drafting for mining companies and local contractors. She is a long-time volunteer who lives off the grid. Being an avid paddler and skier has cemented her appreciation for the land and natural environment.
In late February, Dupont secured the Green Party of Canada nomination to run to be the next Yukon MP in federal elections that have yet to be declared.
When Dupont spoke with the News by phone on March 4, she took a bit of a jab at incumbent Yukon MP Brendan Hanley of the Liberals by suggesting Yukoners deserve a better-fitting representative at the federal level.
In a follow-up email, she said she needs to earn Yukoners’ trust, which is what she will be trying to do in her campaign.
Dupont believes Yukoners recognize a disconnect between the environment and the economy that needs mending.
“Whether you're harvesting a moose down the Pelly River or hiking on Grey Mountain after your day shift, like, we all care about the environment,” she said.
“If we're degrading the natural environment, we're degrading our economy, and the Green Party is the only party that takes that relationship seriously.”
Lots of work has been done in the North around green-energy projects like wind and solar that can be built on, per Dupont.
“We really should be focusing on doing more of these projects, to have more studies of where we should put wind turbines, for example, and like really keep doing the groundwork to expand what we already did,” she said.
“And we absolutely need to fix the housing crisis. We absolutely need to have much more affordable homes available for people.”
Dupont suggested revisiting the notions of affordability and affordable homes to properly define the terms for housing policy purposes.
She wants to build an attractive business case for building more housing that people can afford by working with industry. The spectrum of housing she proposes includes apartments, townhouses and mobile homes.
Dupont’s message is that a vote for the Greens isn’t a wasted vote.
“Voting for someone you don't like or voting for a party that you don't like, that you don't believe in, that would be a tragedy. That is wasting your vote,” she said.
“In a healthy democracy, to make it work, we need to vote for what we believe in and in the people that we believe in.”
The Yukon is regarded as a swing riding. It went from blue to red in 2015.
With a close race in 2021, Hanley took the Yukon seat with 6,471 votes. Conservative Barbara Dunlop came in next with 5,096 votes. Lisa Vollans-Leduc of the NDP got 4,354 votes. Independent Jonas Smith, who was booted as the Conservative candidate for his vaccine stance, followed up with 2,639 votes. Lenore Morris of the Green Party received 846 votes, and 142 ballots were rejected.
During the upcoming campaign, Dupont figures her smaller party needs to work harder than her competition in the bigger parties.
“We have a very, very ambitious and dynamic team here locally. And we're very positive,” she said.
A press release issued by the party recognized her volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity Yukon, Les EssentiElles, the Yukon River Quest and Yukon Artists at Work.
The release identifies Dupont as a Francophone Yukoner who sees the unique issues facing minority groups, and the need to take action on reconciliation with Yukon First Nations.
From Dupont’s perspective, the Green party is the only party committed to protecting the land.
“For Yukoners, we love our land. We love being on the land. And we are very aware that we need to protect our land,” she said.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
https://www.facebook.com/p/Green-Party-of-Canada-Candidates-100063859358747/
Green Party of Canada Candidates
Intro
André Fortin
André Fortin has dedicated his life to public service, infrastructure development, and energy governance in Northern Canada. Committed to economic growth, sustainable energy, and community resilience, he brings decades of experience in technology, business, and regulatory oversight.
Born and raised in Quebec, André’s early years in a Catholic orphanage and foster care shaped his resilience and determination. He excelled academically, completing Grade 13 at Polyvalente Donnacona before graduating top of his class in Electrical Engineering Technology from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1974.
In 1978, he embarked on a motorcycle journey toward Alaska but found his calling in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, working in communications and energy infrastructure. Settling in Whitehorse in 1984, he joined the Northern Canada Power Commission as a tele-control technician while raising a family off-grid in rural Yukon, gaining firsthand experience in self-reliance and sustainable living.
In 1990, André founded Dynamic Systems, a contracting firm that employed up to 40 people and modernized electrical and mechanical systems across Alaska, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and beyond. After selling his company in 2007, he focused on commissioning newly constructed facilities, ensuring efficiency and safety.
From 2012 to 2024, he served on the Yukon Utilities Board, overseeing electricity pricing and regulation. His tenure strengthened his expertise in technical, financial, and legal oversight of energy production and distribution. A strong advocate for transparent governance and data-driven decision-making, André rejects policies based on emotion or rhetoric, prioritizing accountability and informed policy.
As he looks to the future, André remains focused on energy security, economic development, and sustainable solutions for the North. In his free time, he enjoys motorcycle rides, working on his equine farm, and walking his dogs.
Intro
The Rhinoceros Party is a Canadian political party devoted to satirizing conventional politics.
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 21, 2022 at 4:18 PM
Subject: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH NB, NS, PE & NL?
To: <rene.arseneault@parl.gc.ca>, <Jenica.Atwin@parl.gc.ca>, <Richard.Bragdon@parl.gc.ca>, <serge.cormier@parl.gc.ca>, <dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca>, <wayne.long@parl.gc.ca>, <Rob.Moore@parl.gc.ca>, <ginette.petitpastaylor@parl.gc.ca>, <jake.stewart@parl.gc.ca>, <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, <gudie.hutchings@parl.gc.ca>, <yvonne.jones@parl.gc.ca>, <ken.mcdonald@parl.gc.ca>, <seamus.oregan@parl.gc.ca>, <Churence.Rogers@parl.gc.ca>, <clifford.small@parl.gc.ca>, <joanne.thompson@parl.gc.ca>, <Jaime.Battiste@parl.gc.ca>, <Kody.Blois@parl.gc.ca>, <Chris.dEntremont@parl.gc.ca>, <lenametlege.diab@parl.gc.ca>, <stephen.ellis@parl.gc.ca>, <andy.fillmore@parl.gc.ca>, <darren.fisher@parl.gc.ca>, <sean.fraser@parl.gc.ca>, <Mike.Kelloway@parl.gc.ca>, <rick.perkins@parl.gc.ca>, <darrell.samson@parl.gc.ca>, <sean.casey@parl.gc.ca>, <lawrence.macaulay@parl.gc.ca>, <heath.macdonald@parl.gc.ca>, <robert.morrissey@parl.gc.ca>
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, Michael.McLeod <Michael.McLeod@parl.gc.ca>, <lori.idlout@parl.gc.ca>, <brendan.hanley@parl.gc.ca>
https://davidraymondamos3.blog
Monday, 21 February 2022
Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support of the NDP
because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH?
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Blanchet, Yves-François - Député" <Yves-Francois.Blanchet@parl.g
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:14:55 +0000
Subject: Réponse automatique : Deployment of Emergencies Act expected
to pass with support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable
confidence vote EH?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
(Ceci est une réponse automatique)
(English follows)
Bonjour,
Nous avons bien reçu votre courriel et nous vous remercions d'avoir
écrit à M. Yves-François Blanchet, député de Beloeil-Chambly et chef
du Bloc Québécois.
Comme nous avons un volume important de courriels, il nous est
impossible de répondre à tous individuellement. Soyez assuré(e) que
votre courriel recevra toute l'attention nécessaire.
L'équipe du député Yves-François Blanchet
Chef du Bloc Québécois
Thank you for your email. We will read it as soon as we can.
---------- Original message ----------
From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit - Justice Canada <mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:06:21 +0000
Subject: Automatic Reply
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Thank you for writing to the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Due to the volume of correspondence addressed to the Minister, please
note that there may be a delay in processing your email. Rest assured
that your message will be carefully reviewed.
We do not respond to correspondence that contains offensive language.
-------------------
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable David Lametti, ministre de la
Justice et procureur général du Canada.
En raison du volume de correspondance adressée au ministre, veuillez
prendre note qu'il pourrait y avoir un retard dans le traitement de
votre courriel. Nous tenons à vous assurer que votre message sera lu
avec soin.
Nous ne répondons pas à la correspondance contenant un langage offensant.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Higgs, Premier Blaine (PO/CPM)" <Blaine.Higgs@gnb.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:08:37 +0000
Subject: RE: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with
support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote
EH?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Due to the volume of incoming messages, this is an automated response
to let you know that your email has been received and will be reviewed
at the earliest opportunity.
If your inquiry more appropriately falls within the mandate of a
Ministry or other area of government, staff will refer your email for
review and consideration.
Merci d'avoir pris le temps de nous écrire.
En raison du volume des messages reçus, cette réponse automatique vous
informe que votre courriel a été reçu et sera examiné dans les
meilleurs délais.
Si votre demande relève plutôt du mandat d'un ministère ou d'un autre
secteur du gouvernement, le personnel vous renverra votre courriel
pour examen et considération.
If this is a Media Request, please contact the Premier’s office at
(506) 453-2144 or by email
media-medias@gnb.ca<mailto:med
S’il s’agit d’une demande des médias, veuillez communiquer avec le
Cabinet du premier ministre au 506-453-2144.
Office of the Premier/Cabinet du premier ministre
P.O Box/C. P. 6000 Fredericton New-Brunswick/Nouveau-
Brunswick E3B 5H1 Canada
Tel./Tel. : (506) 453-2144
Email/Courriel:
premier@gnb.ca/premier.ministr
---------- Original message ----------
From: Premier of Ontario | Premier ministre de l’Ontario <Premier@ontario.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:06:21 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to
pass with support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable
confidence vote EH?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Thank you for your email. Your thoughts, comments and input are greatly valued.
You can be assured that all emails and letters are carefully read,
reviewed and taken into consideration.
There may be occasions when, given the issues you have raised and the
need to address them effectively, we will forward a copy of your
correspondence to the appropriate government official. Accordingly, a
response may take several business days.
Thanks again for your email.
______
Merci pour votre courriel. Nous vous sommes très reconnaissants de
nous avoir fait part de vos idées, commentaires et observations.
Nous tenons à vous assurer que nous lisons attentivement et prenons en
considération tous les courriels et lettres que nous recevons.
Dans certains cas, nous transmettrons votre message au ministère
responsable afin que les questions soulevées puissent être traitées de
la manière la plus efficace possible. En conséquence, plusieurs jours
ouvrables pourraient s’écouler avant que nous puissions vous répondre.
Merci encore pour votre courriel.
---------- Original message ----------
From: Office of the Premier <scott.moe@gov.sk.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:06:21 +0000
Subject: Thank you for your email
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
This is to acknowledge that your email has been received by the Office
of the Premier.
We appreciate the time you have taken to write.
NOTICE: This e-mail was intended for a specific person. If it has
reached you by mistake, please delete it and advise me by return
e-mail. Any privilege associated with this information is not waived.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance.
Avis: Ce message est confidentiel, peut être protégé par le secret
professionnel et est à l'usage exclusif de son destinataire. Il est
strictement interdit à toute autre personne de le diffuser, le
distribuer ou le reproduire. Si le destinataire ne peut être joint ou
vous est inconnu, veuillez informer l'expéditeur par courrier
électronique immédiatement et effacer ce message et en détruire toute
copie. Merci de votre cooperation.
---------- Original message ----------
From: Premier <PREMIER@novascotia.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:08:41 +0000
Subject: Thank you for your email
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Thank you for your email to Premier Houston. This is an automatic
confirmation your message has been received.
As we are currently experiencing higher than normal volumes of
correspondence, there may be delays in the response time for
correspondence identified as requiring a response.
We recognize that many Nova Scotians have concerns about COVID-19. If
you are looking for the most up-to-date information, we encourage you
to visit: novascotia.ca/coronavirus<http
or canada.ca/coronavirus<https://
You can also call the toll-free information line at 1-833-784-4397.
If you are experiencing symptoms, please visit
https://811.novascotia.ca<http
and use the COVID-19 online self-assessment tool, which will help you
determine if you need to get tested. If you don’t have internet
access, call 811.
Thank you,
Premier’s Correspondence Team
---------- Original message ----------
From: Viva Frei <david@vivafrei.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:07:03 GMT
Subject: Thanks for your message
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Thank you very much for your message.
I receive a ton of emails and DMs, and I can’t get to all of them. So
if I don’t get back to you, don’t take it personally. And the standard
disclaimer that I cannot and do not give legal advice, nor can I
respond to specific personal or legal questions (and be weary of any
lawyer who would via DM or social media! lol).
See you on the inter-webs, and know the vlawg! Peace!
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.c
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 15:06:16 -0400
Subject: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support
of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH?
To: pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "Katie.Telford" <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>,
kingpatrick278 <kingpatrick278@gmail.com>, Viva Frei
<david@vivafrei.com>, "freedomreport.ca" <freedomreport.ca@gmail.com>,
"jagmeet.singh" <jagmeet.singh@parl.gc.ca>,
Yves-Francois.Blanchet@parl.gc
<Candice.Bergen@parl.gc.ca>, Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca, "Bill.Blair"
<Bill.Blair@parl.gc.ca>, "David.Lametti" <David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>,
mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, "Ian.Shugart" <Ian.Shugart@pco-bcp.gc.ca>,
"Kevin.leahy" <Kevin.leahy@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Brenda.Lucki"
<Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>,
"hugh.flemming" <hugh.flemming@gnb.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>,
premier <premier@gov.ab.ca>, Office of the Premier
<scott.moe@gov.sk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nl.ca>, PREMIER
<PREMIER@gov.ns.ca>, premier <premier@gov.pe.ca>, premier
<premier@gov.yk.ca>, premier <premier@leg.gov.mb.ca>, premier
<premier@gov.bc.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nt.ca>,
blake.desjarlais@parl.gc.ca, freedomforusal@protonmail.com,
jake.stewart@parl.gc.ca, paul <paul@paulfromm.com>, "Paul.Lynch"
<Paul.Lynch@edmontonpolice.ca>
<derekstorie85@gmail.com>, eps <eps@edmontonpolice.ca>,
Peggy.Regimbal@bellmedia.ca, patrickking@canada-unity.com,
james@canada-unity.com, novaxpass@outlook.com,
martin@canada-unity.com, tdundas10@gmail.com, jlaface@gmail.com,
davesteenburg269@gmail.com, brown_tm3@yahoo.ca, leannemb
<leannemb@protonmail.com>, harold@jonkertrucking.com,
keepcanada@protonmail.com, andyjohanna01@hotmail.com,
janiebpelchat@icloud.com, janetseto@protonmail.com,
johndoppenberg@icloud.com, stiessen1979@gmail.com,
77cordoba@outlook.com
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
https://davidraymondamos3.blog
Monday, 21 February 2022
Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support of the NDP
because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH?
Don't 'mess with Alaska,' U.S. senator warns B.C., even as state Republicans affirm friendship with Canada
Alaskan senator pushes for cruise ships to bypass B.C. ports while state leaders voice support for Canada
As state-level Republicans in Alaska work to affirm their close relationship with Canada amid U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and threats of annexation, an Alaskan senator has warned British Columbia's premier that "you don't want to mess with Alaska."
Dan Sullivan of the Republican Party, who represents Alaska in the U.S. Senate, made the remarks in an interview with an Anchorage radio station posted to his Facebook page.
During the conversation, which touched on topics ranging from energy development to Ukraine, Sullivan, one of two senators who represent the state in Washington, was asked about B.C. introducing legislation that grants the province the ability to levy new fees on U.S. commercial trucks heading to Alaska.
"I don't know the premiers of the different provinces but it is a bit of a dangerous game," Sullivan said before launching into his desire to repeal, either through the senate or by executive order from Trump, the Passenger Vessel Services Act.
Under the act, foreign-built ships are not allowed to carry passengers between two U.S. ports without a stopover in a foreign country. The law is meant to protect U.S. shipping interests, much the same as the Jones Act which applies the same rules to cargo ships.
Many Alaska-bound cruise ships stop in B.C. — primarily Vancouver but also Nanaimo, Victoria and Prince Rupert — bringing in significant tourism revenue to the province's economy.
Sullivan
said in a radio interview that preventing cruise ships from stopping in
B.C. ports would cost Western Canada billions of dollars in tourism
revenue. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Sullivan says he would like to see that rule repealed, noting it was done when COVID-19 restrictions were in place.
"Canada, you don't want to mess with Alaska. And if you do, we are going to work hard on having our cruise ships bypass your ports, and that will help our economy tremendously," Sullivan said. "They're playing a dangerous game here, and I hope they back down."
'We can't imagine Alaska without Canada'
B.C. Premier David Eby said he had no current plans to enact tolls but he wants the ability to do so should Trump escalate his actions against Canada.
"This is not something that we would do lightly," he told reporters Friday. "We know the consequences for Alaskans are a big deal. We would expect them to respond in kind. Trade wars only hurt people."
He hopes Alaskans worried about the fallout of a trade war will speak up.
"We need Alaskans to send a message to Donald Trump about how intertwined we are, about the connections between our economies," he said.
B.C.
Premier David Eby speaks on the lawn on the legislature in Victoria on
March 6, 2025. He says he wants Alaskans to send a message to U.S.
President Donald Trump about 'how intertwined we are." (Mike McArthur/CBC)
That message was heard in Alaska's state capitol building on Friday afternoon when Republican Rep. Chuck Kopp tabled a House Joint Resolution, Recognizing and honoring the relationship between Canada and Alaska, which he described as "an unqualified affirmation of the strong bonds of friendship, shared history, mutual defence and support that have bound our state to Canada over centuries."
An almost identical Senate Joint Resolution is also moving through Alaska's senate, sponsored by Republican Cathy Giessel, who has also spoken out against the trade war.
"The friendship, trust and affection that we hold for our Canadian neighbours extends to their identity as citizens of the sovereign nation of Canada," Kopp said at Friday's meeting, gesturing to a map of the two countries. "We can't imagine Alaska without Canada."
Kopp and several other speakers highlighted the joint effort to build the Alaska Highway from northern B.C. to Alaska during the Second World War, as well as the number of families and friendships that span both sides of the border.
Rep. Chuck Kopp has tabled a house joint resolution that affirms "the strong bonds" between Alaska and Canada. (Becky Bohrer/The Associated Press)
Also invited to speak was Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, the president of the Arctic Winter Games and several members of the border community of Skagway, Alaska.
Skagway Vice-Mayor Deb Potter called on politicians to "think of Alaskans over your party," and encouraged them to affirm the resolution, which is still moving through the house.
Kopp said he hoped the messages coming from Alaskans would be heard by the powers that be elsewhere in the United States.
"The temperature is rising between the countries based on economic reasons," he said. "This resolution recognizes that relationships matter and are far more important than maybe the almighty dollar at times."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The Canadian Press
What impact could Canadian tolls have on Alaska truck travel?
B.C. premier has floated idea of charging commercial vehicles travelling north if U.S. tariffs imposed
UPDATE — March 6, 2025: British Columbia's premier, David Eby, said he would be introducing legislation allowing fees to be imposed on commercial traffic travelling to Alaska from elsewhere in the United States. The story below, first published last month, outlines the potential impacts that could have, as well as the economic relationship between Alaska and Canada.
When B.C. Premier David Eby ordered U.S. alcohol off of shelves and started diverting critical minerals meant for the United States last weekend, there was one threat he didn't follow through on: making it harder for products destined for Alaska to travel through B.C.
But his office says the idea of imposing fines on truck traffic going through the province is still on the table should U.S. President Donald Trump carry out his threat to start putting tariffs on Canadian goods.
Eby first floated the idea at a news conference on Jan. 16 as he listed the ways his province works with its southern — and northern — neighbours.
"We allow American companies to bid on government contracts," he said. "We allow American alcohol products to sit side-by-side with B.C. products. We allow American trucks to travel through B.C. to go up to Alaska to deliver goods without any charges."
But, he said, if Trump wasn't going to follow the rules of international trade, there was no reason B.C. should beholden to old standards, either.
B.C. pauses retaliatory measures after Trump's 30-day hold on tariff threatEby wasn't alone in threatening higher prices for U.S. trucks in Canada: In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston said he would be doubling tolls for commercial vehicles entering his province through the Cobequid Pass. And on Monday, prior to Trump agreeing to a 30-day delay on his tariff threat, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai told CBC News many of his constituents wanted to see similar measures take place there, as well.
"We've seen Yukoners reach out and say, 'You should be doing something on the Alaska Highway,'" he said. "British Columbia might be looking to do something on the Alaska Highway, so we're looking to work in conjunction to understand what that would look like."
Traffic lined up along the Alaska Highway during a road closure in August 2017. (Philippe Morin/CBC)
The Alaska Highway is, in fact, a Canadian one. With its origin point in Dawson Creek, B.C., it extends more than 2,000 kilometres through Whitehorse, before ending just southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.
It was built in the Second World War by the U.S. Corps of Engineers after the bombing of Pearl Harbour as a way to ensure the United States had land access to Alaska, in order to serve as a defence against Pacific incursions. It was funded by the United States, with Canadian leaders allowing the build on the condition that it be turned over to Canada following the war.
The highway remains a popular tourist route and the only way for goods shipped by truck to reach Alaska.
But that doesn't mean Canada could easily block it off — or that it would want to.
Pillai pointed out that, unlike Nova Scotia, there are no toll booths set up in the Yukon that could be used to impose higher fees on traffic. The same goes for most highways in B.C.
Beyond that, he said, there is still a strong relationship between the Yukon and Alaska. That includes a recent commitment from the U.S. state to spend more than $40 million improving a stretch of the Alaska Highway on the Yukon side of the border that could be at risk should fines be imposed.
Then there's the question of retaliation: while U.S. truck traffic is currently able to travel through Canada to Alaska duty-free, the same agreement is in place for most Mexican goods coming to Canada the same way, said Andrea Bjorklund, a McGill University professor and an expert in international commercial law.
Having duties imposed on items going to and from Mexico could further harm the Canadian economy as Mexico is Canada's third-largest trading partner, including more than $2 billion worth of fruits and vegetables coming into the country every year.
Flags for British Columbia, Canada and the United States mark Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, B.C. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)
Alaska, meanwhile, is not actually as dependent on trucks from Canada as some might think, with most of its goods arriving by sea, rather than road.
In fact, according to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Transport Statistics, shared by University of Alaska economics professor Mike Jones, trucking only represents about one percent of cargo entering the state every year, with the bulk coming through the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, primarily from U.S. destinations.
It is China that is Alaska's most important international trading partner, with Canada coming anywhere from third to fifth, depending on how it is measured.
That doesn't surprise Ken Coates, a historian focused on Canada's North, based at Yukon University. He recalls visiting Fairbanks, Alaska, in the 1970s and discovering most people didn't know where the Yukon was — instead, he said, their primary point of reference for the outside world was Seattle, Wash.
"It's kind of a distant cousinship," he said. "You know, second cousins twice removed on Mom's side."
Figures
from the Port of Alaska illustrates the state's reliance on goods
shipped by boat relative to those arriving via truck from Canada. (CBC News)
That's not to say Alaskans aren't paying attention to the deterioration of relationships with Canada: many political leaders in the state have expressed alarm about the possibility of tariffs, including Republican Senator Cathy Giessel who has been working on joint resolutions opposing economic sanctions being placed on Canada.
"I oppose these tariffs because we are neighbours," she said. "We are partners. It's not only economic, but it's security and defence, as well."
She also pointed out that there are key goods from Canada that Alaska is unlikely to get from elsewhere, including timber for home building and the possible future import of B.C. natural gas as current heating sources run low.
And ties between the two are growing: Canada has been identified by Alaska as one of its fastest-growing economic partners, and last year, Yukon and Alaska signed an accord taking note of their close ties.
Then there are the Alaskan border towns, places like Haines, Hyder and Skagway, where residents frequently cross into Canada for necessities like food, health care and medicine.
Orion Hanson, who runs a construction business and sits on Skagway's local government, said he and many others are reliant on Canada for everything from fresh produce to building supplies.
"I don't expect Washington to understand the logistical difficulties of living in a small, remote place in the corner of Alaska," he said.
"This tariff will just make it more expensive to be here and more difficult and challenging to be a citizen of Skagway."
A lone pickup truck travels the Alaska Highway heading towards the St. Elias Mountains and Haines Junction, Yukon, on March 4, 2007. (Chuck Stoody/The Canadian Press)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Elyn Jones and Kate Kyle
Alaska Highway tolls, banning Trump Jr.: Yukoners advise premier on U.S. trade war response
Premier Ranj Pillai says he's heard plenty of ideas, but he's still weighing options for further retaliation
Yukon's premier says he's been getting an "incredible" amount of advice and suggestions from Yukoners about how to retaliate against the U.S. for its punishing new tariffs — with suggestions ranging from putting on a toll on the Alaska Highway to banning American athletes from the Arctic Winter Games.
Another suggestion Premier Ranj Pillai said he's been hearing is to bar Donald Trump Jr. from coming to the territory. The U.S. president's son has been known to do hunting trips in the Yukon.
"Lots of Yukoners have reached out to me on this," Pillai said, about Trump Jr. "The legalities of that I think, first and foremost, have to be understood.
"Are we banning one person? What are the legalities of that? You know, is that the right thing to do? How do you do that? And then who gets banned from the United States?"
Pillai was speaking on Wednesday, a day after he announced some initial measures the territory was taking in response to the trade war launched this week by the U.S. president.
The territory is updating its government procurement policies so that it buys more local goods and fewer U.S. goods, and establishing an assistance fund for local businesses. It will also no longer buy or sell American liquor products.
Pillai said more measures will likely follow, but it's too soon to say what those will be.
'It's incredible the amount of advice that we're getting from Yukoners, on all of these things,' said Premier Ranj Pillai. (Crystal Schick/The Canadian Press)
"People are so incredibly passionate about this, or concerned, or angry," he said.
"It's incredible the amount of advice that we're getting from Yukoners, on all of these things. And we're just moving through it to see, you know, what's the most prudent thing to do at this time, and what the next step would look like."
Elon Musk's businesses, the Arctic Winter Games
The premier said another idea he's heard from a lot of Yukoners is to put a toll on the Alaska Highway for U.S. vehicles travelling through the territory. The highway connects Alaska to the lower 48 states, through the Yukon and B.C.
Pillai said something like that is easier said than done, as it would require new infrastructure — for example, toll booths — new staff, and likely new legislation.
"We've got to look at what our actions are and what legal tools we have to make those decisions," Pillai said.
He also said people have been urging the government to punish businesses owned by tech billionaire and Trump appointee Elon Musk. Pillai said government officials are now reviewing whether to halt the territory's use of Musk's Starlink, or the social media platform X.
As for banning Alaskan athletes from the next Arctic Winter Games — happening a year from now, in Whitehorse — the premier was cool to that idea.
"That's not something that we've contemplated," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, NDP Leader Kate White floated the idea during an interview on CBC's Yukon Morning. She compared it to a decision made in 2022, about Russian athletes.
Weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, in February 2022, the Arctic Winter Games International Committee announced it had "suspended Yamal, Russia, with immediate effect, following the attacks unfolding in Ukraine."
Arctic Winter Games athletes and other participants crowd the stage at the closing ceremonies of the 2023 games, in Alberta. (Julie Plourde/Radio-Canada)
"So if we're not allowing Russian athletes because of Putin's actions, are we going to have the conversation about Alaskan athletes?" White asked.
"It's hard because we're talking about, I mean, the decision was made about Russian kids, right? So are we going to have to make the same decision about American kids?"
Pillai argued that the games are an important event for positivity, and "building bridges" with friends in Alaska.
"Look, at the end of the day, we need Americans to put ultimate pressure on the Trump administration," Pillai said.
"So I think having the Games here, seeing a bunch of great Alaskan athletes coming here, strengthening our ties with Alaska — it's incredibly important."
With files from Virginie Ann and Elyn Jones
Nunavut MLAs query territorial government after trade war with U.S. kicks off
Government considering banning American companies from contracts
Nunavut's finance minister says the territory is considering banning American companies from bidding on government contracts in the wake of the trade war with the United States.
Responding to a question about whether it would do so from Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Lorne Kusugak said it was tough to answer – but that the government was considering the pros and cons.
The premiers of both the N.W.T. and Yukon have directed their governments to review procurement policies to reduce or eliminate purchases from U.S. companies where possible after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on virtually all Canadian goods this week.
Canada responded by putting tariffs on $30 billion worth of American goods, and has said it will put tariffs on $125 billion more in three weeks time.
Brewster told the house that the tariffs imposed by Trump are "irrational and indefensible." She also raised the matter of Starlink – a technology now used by many Nunavummiut to access high-speed internet.
"The premier of Ontario announced last month that he was prepared to rip up the province's $100 million contract with Elon Musk's Starlink corporation in the face of the threat of Trump tariffs," said Brewster.
Doug Ford followed through on his threat, but when Brewster asked if the Nunavut government would do the same – Kusugak was more careful.
Lorne
Kusugak, Nunavut's finance minister, said the government was
considering the pros and cons of banning American contractors from
bidding on its contracts. (Nunavut Legislative Assembly)
"We're taking a very close look at that … to ensure that there is no detrimental impact in the care of Nunavummiut in doing that," he said. "Unlike the southern provinces, Starlink might be the only real way to … communicate for the betterment of Nunavummiut in healthcare and so on.
As other jurisdictions, such as Ontario and British Columbia, pull all American liquor from their shelves, Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok announced that Nunavut would do the same.
Kusugak, who is also the minister responsible for the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission, said it has between $650,000-700,000 worth of inventory that is made in the U.S.
MLAs ask about contract costs
Two other MLAs also had questions for the government about the new tariffs.
Arviat South MLA Joe Savikataaq asked whether the government of Nunavut would increase how much its spending on particular contracts if they grow because of tariffs.
Community and Government Services Minister David Joanasie responded that the territory was monitoring the situation.
"This has involved looking at our existing project tender schedules and the existing project contracts that, if there's any due increases as a result of the tariffs, what budgets we might have to adjust," he said.
P.J.
Akeeagok is the Premier of Nunavut. He attended a meeting with the
prime minister and other provincial and territorial premiers on Tuesday,
which he later called 'constructive.' (TJ Dhir/CBC)
Iqaluit-Tasiluk MLA George Hickes was also curious about how the Qulliq Energy Corporation's capital plan and procurement activities would be affected by tariffs in the short-term.
In response, John Main, the minister responsible for the corporation, said while they're unable to quantify the impact right now, it's something the corporation is concerned about.
"It's very difficult to see how [Trump's tariffs] would be of any help in terms of looking for ways to do business cheaper or as cheap as possible on behalf of Nunavummiut," said Main.
'They were ready for day one'
Akeeagok said he attended a meeting with the prime minister and other provincial and territorial premiers on Tuesday. Afterwards, he told reporters it had been "constructive" and that everything was on the table in terms of Canada's response to the tariffs.
"It's important that we stand up for Canadians and that's exactly what we're doing right now," he said.
Speaking with CBC News after question period, Brewster said while she wasn't surprised Kusugak didn't have more substantive responses to her questions, she was encouraged by what she heard.
"I am happy to know that, at the very least, they were ready for day one," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trade war could be 'crushing' for Alaska town that depends on the Yukon, residents say
'I don't see any benefit from this whole plan, this whole scheme,' says assembly member in Skagway, Alaska
Alaska business owner Mike Healy has one word to describe the international trade war that began on Tuesday between the U.S. and Canada.
"Chaos," he said.
"I've been talking to people around town and in the office and everyone seems to have a different version of what's going to happen."
Healy, who owns the Skagway Brewing Company in Skagway, Alaska, is one of many people in his town who are worried about what punishing new tariffs will mean for his business, and his community.
The only road to the small coastal town of about 1,200 people is through the Yukon and B.C., and many residents and businesses rely on Whitehorse — a two-hour drive away — as a shopping, supply and travel hub.
Healy said he typically makes a trip to Whitehorse every two weeks or so, often spending hundreds of dollars each time on groceries and hundreds more on business supplies, including CO2 and nitrogen needed for his brewery. He's afraid that may all change now.
"It just doesn't seem like we've gotten very good, straight information on what to expect when we try to come back through the border," he said.
Mike
Healy, owner of the Skagway Brewing Company, said he typically makes a
trip to Whitehorse every two weeks or so to stock up on groceries and
supplies for his business. (Submitted by Mike Healy)
Healy said he's already had to make some tough decisions, such as pausing plans to expand his business and to construct some new housing.
"You know, I see our cost of lumber going up due to these tariffs. I see steel going up, increasing because of these tariffs. So we're just stopping, we're just halting," he said.
"And it's a shame because Skagway needs a lot more housing."
Nina Seizov, who owns Skagway Mercantile, a gift shop in town, is also anxious about how the trade war might affect her life and livelihood. She called the tariffs "horrible," saying she "can't imagine how this is gonna work."
Like Healy, she makes regular trips to Whitehorse to stock up on things that are often more expensive back in remote Skagway.
"We have really high shipping amounts. So the cost of inventory, the cost of everything, is a little bit higher in Skagway. And then if you're going to add on this tariff, we just don't know if this stuff will sell at that price," she said.
Seizov is grateful that she and her partner recently built a manufactured home in Skagway that they bought through a Whitehorse supplier. She's not sure whether they would have been able to do that if the new tariffs were already in place.
Seizov says she also typically sells many Canadian goods, including Indigenous-made products, in her gift shop but she's unsure whether that will now be more difficult with the added cost of tariffs.
'The citizens bear the brunt of this cost'
A draft of a recent letter sent to Alaska's state congressman and senators — all Republicans — from Skagway's municipal government expresses concern about how a trade war "may impact life and safety in our community."
It says people in Skagway depend on Whitehorse for goods and services — and also emergency services at times.
"Thus, our good relationship with our Canadian neighbors is essential to saving lives," it reads.
At the Canada-U.S. border near Skagway, Alaska. (Mark Evans/CBC)
"The proposed 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods and the potential Canadian response could result in a crushing increase in the cost of living in our remote community, causing negative impacts to nearly every facet of our community."
Speaking to CBC News on Tuesday, Orion Hanson, a member of the local assembly, said he had a "tremendous amount of concern" about the potential increased cost of living in Skagway and whether it will become just too hard for people to stay there.
"I don't see any benefit from this whole plan, this whole scheme. I think only the citizens bear the brunt of this cost. I don't see how the common person gets anything out of it," he said, about the tariffs.
Hanson is also concerned about what it might mean for the traditionally close, neighbourly relations between Skagway and the Yukon. A prolonged and devastating trade war could mean "the animosity between our two countries in heightened," he said.
"I was hoping this was all blustery political talk, but today it is changed."
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story said Skagway Mayor Sam Bass wrote and signed the letter to Alaska's state representatives. In fact, it was a draft letter approved at a Feb. 20 borough assembly meeting. Bass did not sign it.Mar 11, 2025 6:17 PM ADT
With files from Virginie Ann
Northern premiers announce plans to protect their economies as U.S. trade war begins
Territories say they will no longer buy and sell American liquor products, among other measures
Canada's three northern premiers say they're focused on removing trade barriers within Canada — while both the N.W.T. and Yukon have also told government departments to avoid buying American goods — in response to the trade war with the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped 25 per cent tariffs on virtually all Canadian goods, as of Tuesday. Canada responded by putting tariffs on $30 billion worth of American goods, and has said it will put tariffs on $125 billion more in three weeks time.
P.J. Akeeagok, the premier of Nunavut, says his territory relies on imported goods and is vulnerable to the effects of a trade war with the United States. N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson said in a statement that his territory was expecting goods to cost more and for supply chain disruptions to affect businesses, communities and families.
"It is very unfortunate that the U.S. has brought forward this tariff war on us all," said Akeeagok in an interview with CBC News.
Ranj Pillai, the premier of the Yukon, said in a news release that the territory is updating its government procurement policies so that it buys more local goods and fewer U.S. goods.
Simpson said in the N.W.T.'s Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that he too had directed departments not to buy American products where possible, and that the territory was also looking to end contracts it had with Elon Musk's Starlink.
In
a statement on Tuesday, Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok said his
government is 'taking measured steps to support Canadian suppliers and
safeguard the affordability and availability of goods for Nunavummiut.' (Justin Tang/CP)
Pillai said his government would also put $1 million into an assistance program to help businesses adapt to the "uncertain economic environment." The financial support, he said, was intended to be "as flexible as possible" and is also contingent on legislative approval.
Neither the N.W.T. or Nunavut governments have announced similar assistance programs.
Breaking down barriers to internal trade
The N.W.T., Nunavut and Yukon governments all say they will no longer buy or sell American liquor products. Pillai said, however, that because the Yukon didn't want to hurt local businesses, those businesses would still be able to sell the rest of the American alcohol they have in stock.
All three premiers expressed support for Canada's retaliatory response, and said that they were looking at exploring ways to break down barriers to trade within the country.
"I am hopeful that in this year, we're going to see significant changes in Canada's internal trade landscape," Simpson said in an interview.
Simpson said Caitlin Cleveland, the N.W.T.'s minister of industry, tourism and investment, is the chair of the committee on internal trade – which has been meeting to untangle things like regulatory changes needed for goods to flow more easily between provinces and territories.
Northwest Territories Premier R. J. Simpson at a news conference in Ottawa in 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
The statement from Akeeagok on Tuesday said the Nunavut government is "taking measured steps to support Canadian suppliers and safeguard the affordability and availability of goods for Nunavummiut."
The Nunavut government says it's "actively monitoring" supply chain disruptions and working with contractors and suppliers to make sure infrastructure projects – which are now cast into uncertainty – can continue.
Simpson also said that keeping critical minerals from the N.W.T. being sold to the States is a "natural discussion," but that right now, no mines in the territory are selling directly to the U.S.
The U.S. is 'Canada's closest friend and ally, but this is not how you treat your friends,' said Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Buy local, premiers say
The premiers of Yukon and Nunavut have also encouraged residents to spend money on local goods, with Pillai saying the government would support "Buy Yukon" campaigns.
"Buying Canadian not only strengthens our economy but also reinforces the importance of investing in domestic industries," Akeeagok said.
In his statement, Pillai also spoke directly to Alaska, which shares a border with the Yukon.
"The United States is our most important trading partner and Canada's closest friend and ally, but this is not how you treat your friends," said Pillai.
"To our friends and family in Alaska: our lives and economies are interconnected, and we hope you will continue to visit our territory and experience all that it has to offer. Please know these measures are not directed at you."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amid political tensions, he invited Americans to visit his B.C. town. 2,000 said they'll show up
Mayor of Nanaimo, B.C., hopes the idea of inviting Americans over for a visit catches on across Canada
Tod Maffin says he was at home one night when he had an idea.
Amid all the talk of tariff threats and annexation, he posted a video to TikTok asking Americans to visit his hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., as a sign of support for their neighbours to the north.
"I thought maybe half a dozen or so would show up and my wife and I would take them out for dinner or lunch or whatever," Maffin said.
Maffin is a digital marketer, business journalist, and a former radio host and producer, including at CBC.
Nanaimo man uses TikTok to invite U.S. visitors north of the borderInterest in the idea grew quickly among his TikTok followers, he said. He set up an online form for Americans who said they were seriously interested in visiting the city on Vancouver Island.
"We're past 2,000 people now," he said.
He says he doesn't expect all of them to actually visit.
"This is the internet. No one shows up at all when they say they're going to," he said.
Still, the prospect of even a small percentage of those people coming to Nanaimo is good news, says the city's mayor, who hopes the idea catches on in other communities across the country.
"Canada is a welcoming country, Canadians are good people. They don't deserve the treatment from the White House and I think many Americans very much disagree with their president," Leonard Krog said.
"So this is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship between our peoples and ignore the political leadership, or lack of it, in Washington."
U.S. woman who frequents B.C. says human connection needed amidst tariff turmoil A spokesperson for Tourism Nanaimo commended Maffin for highlighting the city "as an inclusive and safe destination."
"Although it is still early days and things have moved quickly, it's clear that people are serious about coming," the spokesperson said.
Right now, the plan is to have Americans visit from April 25 to 27. Maffin's goal is to get about 200 people to actually come to Nanaimo.
So what will visitors do in The Harbour City?
Maffin says plans could include a self-guided tour dedicated to the Nanaimo bar, the popular confection featuring a chocolatey coconut crust, yellow custard and chocolate.
He hopes his invite sends a message to those beneath the 49th parallel.
"I just want the Americans to know that we don't hate the individual rank-and-file people living their lives in America and that we're still friends," he said. "And we're really glad that they're willing to come up and put a little bit of their money into our economy."
With files from Liam Britten
Brian McHomen
Canadians don’t want anything up here that resembles what we are seeing south of the border 🇨🇦
Frank Blacklock
Thanks for the support while we are under the worst two leadership parties of the modern era in Canada. Keep in mind not to object to their policies, or there may be consequences - as freedom of expression and thought hasn’t been encouraged in Canada for some time now.
Chantal LeBouthi
Reply to Frank Blacklock
I think clearly you don’t
Duncan MacLeod
Reply to Frank Blacklock
Freedom of expression???
Ralph Steinberg
Reply to Frank Blacklock
What consequences? I object to some of all parties policies. Never agreeing 100%.
So provide some examples please.
Frank Blacklock
Reply to Ralph Steinberg
They’ve been known to freeze bank accounts and keep people in prison for long periods without charging them for anything. So don’t speak up too loud.
Rob Cook
Reply to Frank Blacklock
This is fascinating that it got through
Rob Cook
Reply to Ralph Steinberg
Not allowed
Brian McHomen
Reply to Frank Blacklock
More Maga overreacting. Canadians love watch those horses push them out of our capital city. No to American or Rebel flags
U.S. pauses Columbia River Treaty talks as trade tensions grow, B.C. minister says
Treaty governs power generation, water sharing in sensitive ecological areas in B.C., Washington and Oregon
B.C.'s Energy Ministry says the United States has paused negotiations with Canada on the wide-reaching Columbia River Treaty that regulates everything from flood control and power generation to water supply and salmon restoration in the region.
The ministry says in a news release that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration "is conducting a broad review of its international engagement."
The two countries reached an in-principle deal on a new version of the decades-old treaty last July, and while officials from both countries pushed for its finalization before Trump took office in January, the treaty's fate remains unsettled.
The Columbia River's headwaters are in British Columbia before it flows down into the states of Washington and Oregon.
"If people know B.C.'s history, [the treaty] is a significant part of the modern history of B.C.," Energy Minister Adrian Dix said on Tuesday.
The stoppage in talks comes amid trade tensions between Canada and the United States, and the Globe and Mail newspaper reported that Trump called the treaty unfair to the United States in a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February.
Last year, Trump mused about a "very large faucet" that could be diverted to the U.S. While the faucet is fiction, questions about what will happen next for the 61-year-old water treaty under renegotiation are very real.
Could ending a water treaty help Canada fight U.S. tariffs?Dix said that multi-year talks on the treaty, which can span multiple U.S. administrations, was considered part of the normal course of affairs.
"But what isn't normal, of course, is some of the musings of the president of the United States, with respect to British Columbia, with respect to Canada and our water," he said.
B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix says the province would defend its interests in treaty renegotiations. (Mike McArthur/CBC)
The energy minister says he will be hosting a virtual information session to update residents about the status of treaty talks on March 25 "in light of new developments from the U.S."
The ministry also says it will schedule in-person community meetings that were originally planned for earlier this year "once there is more clarity about next steps on the path to modernizing the treaty."
The original treaty was signed in 1961 after a flood in 1948 devastated communities in the region, and First Nations in B.C. have been calling for the new treaty to support restoration of salmon runs that have been blocked by dams in the United States.
Sinixt want a say in Columbia River Treaty renegotiationsTreaty termination takes 10 years
Since 1964, the treaty has required Canada to control the flow of the river via dams to meet U.S. needs for hydropower and flood prevention. The treaty also obliges the U.S to give Canada half the additional potential hydroelectric power produced by treaty dams, which can be sold at market value.
Provisions expired in September. A three-year interim agreement is in place to allow continued flood control operations and some components of a new agreement, but the renegotiated, modernized treaty isn't yet finalized.
John Wagner, an anthropology professor at the University of B.C. who has extensive knowledge of the treaty, said that the agreement-in-principle — which is not yet in force — includes provisions that would advance the rights of First Nations and provide opportunities to remedy environmental problems and fisheries restoration.
"The problem with Trump is that he doesn't seem to care at all about Indigenous peoples and their rights and their interests," he said.
"He doesn't care about the environment. He doesn't care about fish. He hardly even acknowledges the existence of climate change."
The
Hugh Keenleyside Dam near Castlegar, B.C., is one of the three dams
Canada built under the Columbia River Treaty, which for more than 60
years has governed how water is managed on the massive cross-border
river. (CBC News)
The Columbia River is the fourth largest watershed in North America, flowing about 2,000 kilometres from B.C's Columbia Lake into Washington State, entering the Pacific near Astoria, Ore.
With some 60 dams on the river and tributaries, it today delivers more than 40 per cent of U.S. hydroelectric power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and about half the hydropower in B.C.
The
Columbia River, which flows nearly 2,000 kilometres from southeastern
B.C. to the Pacific Ocean, provides some 40 per cent of U.S. hydro power
and about half of B.C.'s. (CBC News)
Dix said that the treaty continues to be in place, and it would take a decade to end it outright — something he doesn't see as likely.
"This Columbia River Treaty is supported by members on both sides of the border, in both sides of of Congress in the United States," he said.
But he added that Canada and B.C. would defend their interests every single day, and "no amount of bluster" would change that.
"You have the president constantly speculating on annexing our country," he said. "And we're going to fight that everywhere, including in these negotiations."
Corrections
- An earlier version of this article incorrectly paraphrased John Wagner as saying the interim Columbia River Treaty made progress in mitigating the impact of climate change. In fact, he was referring to the agreement-in-principle, which is not yet in effect.Mar 12, 2025 8:46 PM ADT
With files from Katie DeRosa, Yvette Brend and The Canadian Press
For 60 years, this Canada-U.S. treaty governed money, power and a river. With Trump's threats, what now?
Columbia River Treaty compensates Canada to manage waterway for U.S. hydropower, flood control
B.C. MLA Adrian Dix says he gets texts, emails, and even stopped at his local Safeway. He says people urge him to cut off power or even water to the U.S.
"People are angry," said Dix, B.C.'s Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions and the minister responsible for the Columbia River Treaty.
"They ask me, well, can't we cut off something? People want to take action."
This is happening as tensions rise over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and repeated calls to make Canada his country's 51st state, while eyeing Canadian resources, like water.
Last year he mused about a "very large faucet" that could be diverted to the U.S. While the faucet is fiction, questions about what will happen next for the 61-year-old water treaty under renegotiation are very real.
Pressure
was on to finalize a renegotiated Columbia River Treaty before U.S.
President Donald Trump, seen here at a campaign event last fall, took
office. That didn't happen. (AP)
The waters of the mighty Columbia River — with headwaters north of Cranbrook in southeastern B.C. — are at the heart of a key cross-border pact.
Since 1964, the Columbia River Treaty has required Canada to control the flow of the river, via dams, to meet U.S. needs for hydropower and flood prevention. The treaty also obliges the U.S to give Canada half the additional potential hydroelectric power produced by treaty dams, which can be sold at market value.
Provisions expired in September. A three-year interim agreement is in place to allow continued operations of flood control and some components of a new agreement, but the renegotiated, modernized treaty isn't finalized and is expected to stall longer under the new U.S. administration.
Dix says B.C. and Canada are "fiercely defending Canadian interests" and staying the course on renegotiations. Meanwhile, some observers are now wanting to see it scrapped, arguing that with the shifting cross-border relationship, the stakes have changed.
What Canada lost
The Columbia River is the fourth largest watershed in North America, flowing about 2,000 kilometres from B.C's Columbia Lake into Washington State, entering the Pacific near Astoria, Ore. With some 60 dams on the river and tributaries, it today delivers more than 40 per cent of U.S. hydroelectric power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and about half the hydropower in B.C.
When the treaty was ratified in 1964, Canada agreed to build three dams in B.C. to manage the flow of the Columbia, flooding 110,000 hectares in southeastern B.C.
The Spicer family farm near Nakusp, B.C., in 1968 after floods had cut off part of the property. (Jean Spicer )
First Nations land was lost, and salmon habitat affected.
"It inundated sacred sites and burial sites, and commenced a lot of damage," said Jay Johnson, chief negotiator and senior policy advisor to the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA)'s Chiefs Executive Council last July.
The Secwépemc, Syilx Okanagan and Ktunaxa Nations, who were not part of the original Columbia River Treaty, were part of the negotiation team when treaty modernization talks began in 2018. The Sinixt, whose traditional territory includes flooded lands, are also vying for a seat at the negotiations, following a court ruling in 2021.
For those who lost land when dams flooded valleys back in the '60s, it remains a struggle to cope with fluctuating water levels that leave docks airborne and dead fish.
Even in dry years, B.C. Hydro is required to release water downstream when it is needed by the U.S., often depleting water in the seven-million-acre Arrow Lakes Reservoir.
Crystal
Spicer stands on the edge of the Arrow Lakes Reservoir, created by
flooding land, including her parent's farm, after the signing of the
Columbia River Treaty in the 1960s. (Tom Popyk/CBC News)
Edgewood B.C resident Crystal Spicer was a teenager when her family farmland was swallowed under the waters of the new reservoir when the Arrow Lakes Valley was dammed. To this day, Spicer can't stand seeing the reservoir that washed the valley's rich silt soil out to sea.
"It's devastating to look at," Spicer said, as she stood on the bank in February.
"It was so drastic – I'll never forget the paradise it was before."
She'd like to see the treaty be modernized – or terminated – and the river return to a more natural state.
Could ending a water treaty help Canada fight U.S. tariffs?Modernized treaty stalled
Under the original treaty, Canada was paid an upfront payment of $64 million for 60 years to manage the river waters to prevent flooding in Washington and Oregon downstream. Canada also received benefits — half of the revenue generated from the U.S. hydropower made possible by the treaty — amounting to between $100 million to $450 million per year.
The modernized treaty took years to renegotiate, with an agreement-in-principle reached last summer. At that time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the new agreement addressed concerns about ecosystems and Indigenous values, when it came to water control.
Even
in very dry years, like 2023, the Columbia River Treaty requires
Canadian dams to keep water flowing to the U.S. for hydroelectricity,
which has raised concerns among locals about low levels in the Arrow
Lakes Reservoir. (Submitted by Victoria Youmans)
There was pressure to finalize the agreement before Trump took office, but that didn't happen. The failure to get it ratified by the U.S. Senate or signed off on by the federal cabinet, some fear, makes it more legally vulnerable.
John Wagner, who has spent decades studying political ecology, water governance and the treaty, fears Trump's administration will balk at signing the new deal because it takes into consideration Indigenous rights and ecological concerns. That could stall the process and improvements further.
"That could be the big issue," said Wagner, a professor of environmental anthropology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna, B.C.
As for Trump floating the idea of diverting Canadian water to drought-stricken and fire-ravaged California, Wagner says it's a pipe dream that would cost billions.
The Columbia doesn't flow anywhere near California.
"The idea that there is a faucet first of all, it is misinformation," said Wagner. "It's a crazy idea. There is no tap."
Time to signal an end?
But even the potential threat is riling those who have always seen the treaty as inequitable.
Historian Eileen Delahanty Pearkes, a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. and author of A River Captured, would like to see Canada trigger the treaty's 10-year termination notice, signalling an end to the long-held agreement.
Pearkes says Canadians underestimate the powers they have, like the treaty, which she described as a "sharp" negotiating tool as it threatens flood control and reliable electricity the U.S. has come to rely on.
"If Canada really wants to play hardball, it can say we're serving notice of termination and say we're going to run this river exactly how we want to run this river," Pearkes said.
The
Columbia River, which flows nearly 2,000 kilometres from southeastern
B.C. to the Pacific Ocean, provides some 40 per cent of U.S. hydropower,
and about half of B.C.'s. (CBC News)
Pearkes says Canada was never compensated enough for treaty losses. As for potential retaliation from the U.S. administration, she said, "Fear-based responses are not helpful."
Wagner says losing the treaty could benefit Canada, despite the loss of payments.
"The United States would be in a much worse position than we are. We could generate an awful lot more hydropower on the Canadian side of the border, for instance," Wagner said. "I mean, we could do really wonderful things."
CBC approached negotiators to get their thoughts, but they declined comment, deferring to the minister in charge.
Stay the course, says minister
Dix is adamant that treaty termination is a wrong turn.
"I don't think we'd have a lot of effect one way or another, but it would certainly harm Canadian interests," Dix said. Dix says the termination process would take a decade, which dates past Trump's term in office, so would have little effect on the current U.S. threats.
Adrian
Dix, B.C. minister responsible for the Columbia River Treaty, says
negotiators are 'fiercely defending Canadian interests.' (Dillon Hodgin/CBC)
And despite the slow and complex negotiations, Dix says there's strong cross-border support for the treaty.
"We are fiercely defending Canadian interests here," Dix said.
"We don't do that by gestures. We do it by substantive actions."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Can we still be friends: Alaska town sends love letter to neighbours in Yukon
Digs at Canada 'don't necessarily represent the views of the folks in our town,' says mayor of Haines, Alaska
Things have gotten a little weird lately with the U.S. and Canada, but one small-town mayor in Alaska hopes his town can still be Valentines with its neighbours across the border in the Yukon.
Mayor Tom Morphet of Haines, Alaska, penned a love letter of sorts this week and sent off a copy to his counterparts in nearby Haines Junction, Yukon and Whitehorse on Wednesday.
It says the Haines Borough wants to "reaffirm a relationship of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance" with those Yukon communities.
"We recognize that as northerners, we sometimes have as much in common with our Canadian neighbors [sic] as we do with our own countrymen in the southern latitudes."
The only road into the scenic coastal town is from Haines Junction, about a three-hour drive away. Whitehorse — much larger than both those communities — is about five hours away.
The letter describes a centuries-old history of "familial, cultural, social, economic and political" bonds between the communities, and expresses gratitude for the goodwill Yukoners have shown toward Haines over the years.
"We are grateful for the many services and opportunities that our proximity to Canada affords us, including emergency hospital services, veterinary service, RCMP coverage, parks, shopping and social events held in your city," it reads.
The town of Haines Junction, Yukon. The only road access to Haines, Alaska is through Haines Junction. (Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)
Speaking to CBC News, Morphet said it felt important to reach out right now.
"You know, there's been some statements out of Washington that I think have, you know, kind of taken some shots there at Canada," Morphet told CBC News on Friday morning.
"And we just wanted the folks up there to know that they don't necessarily represent the views of the folks in our town."
U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening to impose devastating tariffs on Canadian goods, saying Canada has been treating the U.S. unfairly. He has also repeatedly suggested that Canada should be annexed by the States, to the revulsion of the vast majority of Canadians.
Morphet said he finds the whole situation "a bit upsetting to me, personally."
"I've got good friends in Whitehorse and the Junction," he said. "Some places in the world, you know, Yanks aren't welcome, but we've always felt welcome going up to the Yukon. We'd just love that to continue."
Haines also counts on Canadians for business — something Morphet is all too aware of.
Tourism is a major industry in Haines, and the town has long been a popular getaway for Yukoners. An annual bike relay race between Haines Junction and Haines — with mostly Yukoners competing — is also the biggest event of the year in Haines, he said.
Competitors
in the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay ride their bikes down
the Haines Highway in 2007 outside of Haines, Alaska. The annual event
is the biggest of the year in Haines, the mayor says. (AP Photo/John Hagen)
There are "a lot of loonies and toonies in our cash registers," Morphet said. "Canadian visitation is critical to our economy — so we want to maintain that."
Whitehorse 'deeply concerned' about trade war, mayor says
Diane Strand, the mayor of Haines Junction, said on Friday she hadn't yet had time to talk to her fellow council members about Morphet's letter but expected to next week.
Whitehorse Mayor Kirk Cameron penned a response to Haines on behalf of his city and sent it off on Friday. It also spoke of the long history of friendship and cooperation between Yukon and Alaska, and how the Yukon capital enjoys a "close, active relationship," with Haines, as well as Skagway, Alaska, and the state capital Juneau — a sister city to Whitehorse.
"We value these close ties and appreciate how they have enriched the lives of our residents," Cameron wrote.
However, Cameron also said there was more than just friendship at stake right now.
"Whitehorse City Council is deeply concerned about the impacts on our local businesses and workers and is engaging with partners to ensure a coordinated response to the ongoing threat of an American trade war," Cameron wrote.
"As you can imagine, we stand united with our Canadian family during this challenging time."
Whitehorse Mayor Kirk Cameron in council chambers in December. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)
Cameron also encouraged Morphet to join the Border Mayors Alliance, made up of municipal leaders from Canada and U.S. advocating for their communities in the face of a looming trade war.
"By joining forces, we can prevent the adverse effects of an unnecessary trade war and work towards solutions that benefit both nations," Cameron wrote.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Elyn Jones
Eby gets White House pushback after calling Trump's 51st state plan a 'non-starter'
Premiers' White House meeting was constructive, B.C. premier says
After British Columbia Premier David Eby and fellow premiers emerged from a White House meeting with advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, he wanted to make something clear — Canada would not become the 51st state.
"We had frank conversations about the 51st state comment where we underlined that that was a non-starter, that was obviously consistent among all the premiers," he said, referring to Trump's recent musings about Canada joining the United States.
That might be an uncontroversial position north of the border, but it received swift pushback from Trump's deputy chief of staff James Blair.
David Eby joins premiers in meeting with Trump advisers to discuss tariffsEby had alluded to "some very frank moments across the table" at the hastily arranged meeting for the premiers who are in Washington, D.C., to make the case against Trump's threatened tariffs on Canadian exports.
Nevertheless, Blair called it a "pleasant meeting," while Eby said it was "a good and constructive conversation. I think it was positive."
Trump's director of presidential personnel Sergio Gor was also at the meeting.
Premiers head to Washington to talk trade and tariffs with U.S. lawmakersEby said the advisers told the premiers they should take Trump at his word about his concerns of fentanyl crossing the border.
In addition, they urged the premiers to take Trump's interest in ensuring the U.S. is treated fairly in terms of trade seriously.
Eby said American officials indicated Trump may be interested in meeting with the premiers in the future, and that discussions would continue after other U.S. administration officials are confirmed in their positions.
B.C. looking for other customers
Prior to the meeting, Eby said the "last thing" that British Columbia is considering is further economic integration with the U.S.
Instead, B.C. is "looking for other customers" for everything from aluminum to seafood, Eby told reporters in Washington, D.C.
"Canada will never be the 51st state, but there's lots we can talk about in terms of working closely together on transnational organized crime, or whatever it is the president is interested in," Eby said.
"We don't have to fight and cause economic damage to each other."
Premier
of New Brunswick Susan Holt speaks to reporters, accompanied by, from
left to right, Premier of Nunavut P.J. Akeeagok, Premier of the
Northwest Territories R.J. Simpson, Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith,
Premier of Manitoba Wab Kinew, Premier of Nova Scotia Tim Houston,
Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, Premier of Québec François Legault, and
Premier of British Columbia David Eby, at the Mayflower Hotel in
Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Ben Curtis/The Associated Press)
Trump has made comments about making Canada the 51st state and has threatened a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods and 10 per cent on energy, on top of 25 per cent tariffs on aluminum and steel announced on Monday.
Eby joined Canada's premiers in Washington this week as part of the Council of the Federation, which represents all provincial and territorial premiers and is chaired by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The premiers were invited to the White House for a meeting with senior advisers to the president on Wednesday and cancelled all their other engagements for the afternoon.
The premiers secured a meeting with senior Trump officials on Wednesday. (Ben Curtis/The Associated Press)
Eby told reporters earlier Wednesday that it's puzzling why the U.S. would place a tariff on aluminum that they cannot get elsewhere.
"We've had a series of really positive discussions with representatives, both Democrats and Republicans alike, and the common theme among all the meetings is that the elected representatives from all parties understand the importance of the relationship between the United States and Canada," Eby said.
The ongoing tariff threats come at "a cost of prosperity" to British Columbians, Canadians and Americans alike, he said.
"That's the message we're trying to deliver here," Eby said.
The continued threats of tariffs and uncertainty give British Columbia only one choice and that is to look to other customers, he said.
"We encourage the federal government, if we get hit, to hit back. But none of us wants to be in this fight," Eby said.
"We didn't ask for it, but we should definitely not shy away from it."
U.S.
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on aluminum
tariffs this week, alongside his point man on tariffs, Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Aluminum sector looks for other markets
British Columbia's aluminum sector will find new markets beyond the U.S., provincial Mines Minister Jagrup Brar said, after the prospect of American tariffs as high as 50 per cent on Canadian metal exports emerged.
Trump's planned 25 per cent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum would be stacked on top of a broad 25 per cent levy on Canadian goods, said a White House official who confirmed the plan on background.
B.C.'s Mining Minister Jagrup Brar said that the province was working to secure access to non-U.S. markets for its products. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
"Whether it's 25 per cent or more, it's going to affect families and businesses on both sides. There's no doubt about that," Brar said in an interview on Tuesday.
"We are very confident that we can help the aluminum business access markets as quickly as possible."
How aluminum and steel tariffs could impact B.C. breweries Brar said it takes roughly five years to get an aluminum smelter up and running, so U.S. consumers would be paying more for goods made from aluminum for at least that amount of time.
"It's a fact that B.C. is well positioned to diversify our trade and help businesses access new markets," Brar said.
The 25 per cent U.S. tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports were announced Monday and are set to take effect on March 12. Trump previously threatened 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy, and said those tariffs could still proceed in early March.
B.C. produces aluminum as well as metallurgical coal, which is used to make steel. While some of B.C.'s metallurgical coal is exported to the U.S., most of it is shipped to other markets such as Asia, Brar said.
gordon robertson
Parliament is prorogued??
Maybe what Trudeau should do is
Immediately advise Canadians that they should return to Canada ASAP as, should Canada have to initiate financial actions to protect the country its citizens. then it is very likely that the well-armed people of the United States (especially the domestic terrorists who were recently pardoned and released) will be looking for new, non-American people to hold responsible).
Order the utilities which provide power to the eastern seaboard of the US to warn and then do a test of the power cut off
State that settlement for Canada-provided goods be only in Canadian funds after the Trump tariffs kick in
Declare that US currency not be legal tender in Canada after the Trump tariffs kick in
There are others that could (and should) be added to this, but this might be a good start
David Eby joins Canadian premiers on trip to U.S. to speak to lawmakers about tariffs
Trip comes just after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped 25% tariffs on all steel, aluminum
British Columbia Premier David Eby says he believes the recent tariff friction with the United States will fundamentally change the way Canadians approach trade with their southern neighbours, and things "will never go back to the way that we were before."
Eby says Canadians were "way too reliant on the decisions of one person in the White House" and "took our relationship for granted," adding that he believes the province and the country will emerge stronger from this experience because "the world needs what we have."
The premier made the comments before he flew from Vancouver to Washington, D.C., where he will be joined by other provincial leaders to meet with U.S. lawmakers about trade and tariffs as the threat of a steep levy on more Canadian goods looms.
The trip comes just after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum.
Previously, Eby had called the U.S. threat of tariffs on Canadian goods a "declaration of economic war against a trusted ally and friend" and "a complete betrayal" of the historic bond between Canada and the U.S.
The premiers' trip, which will include meeting with business and labour leaders this week, comes after Trump's threat of tariffs was delayed until at least March 4.
When asked if the premiers will have access to "decision makers who are the closest to the president," Eby says they are working to set up those meetings but may not get confirmation until "the day before or the day of" the meeting, if it were to happen.
"We are trying hard to get those meetings," he says. "And I can assure you that we do have meetings set up with a number of senior decision makers in [U.S.] government."
One group of politicians the Canadian premiers will seek to actively engage with will be those from Trump's Republican Party, Eby adds.
"This is a Republican-led initiative against Canada," Eby says of the tariff threats. "It's a group we need to talk to. Obviously, we need to help them understand the importance of our tightly linked economies, and that while they may think they're trying to get something from Canada, it's just mutually assured damage.
"It's a war where the shrapnel goes in all directions."
Eby also says his government will ensure that B.C. businesses can diversify and that interprovincial trade barriers can be brought down.
Since the tariff threat was made, the B.C. government announced it will fast-track 18 critical mineral and energy projects, set up a trade and economic security task force and a new cabinet committee "war room" to co-ordinate ways to protect workers, businesses and economy.
"I am convinced, because the world needs what we have, that we're going to come out the other side of this stronger, more independent, more resilient and more prosperous," Eby says of the tariff tensions. "But in the meantime, a bunch of unnecessary damage will be done."
Ravi Kahlon, the government minister appointed to co-ordinate the tariff threat, said Monday that the government has been working with aluminum maker Rio Tinto and others on how to move their products to other markets away from the United States.
He said that Eby recently met with leaders at Rio Tinto and the company had confidence that it could find fresh markets for its aluminum produced at the Kitimat facility.
Though B.C. has a more diversified economy than other provinces, there are concerns that if the tariffs are realized, it will cause a significant number of job losses and throw the economy into a recession.
When the United States was initially expected to implement the hefty tariffs on Feb. 1, Eby directed the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch to stop buying American liquor from "red states" and Crown corporations to stop buying U.S. goods and services.
The provincial retaliation was paused after the one-month reprieve was negotiated at the federal level.
The tariff threats have caused a wave of retail patriotism across the country as governments encourage residents to buy Canadian-made goods.
Brian McHomen
Since when can the Americans take control of land in the Middle East, under “ US authority “?
John Hoagie
Reply to Brian McHomen
The bad part is forcing those that live there to leave.
Gregory Wulf
Reply to Brian McHomen
Since Iraq?
Denis van humbeck
Reply to Brian McHomen
They can't. And that would start a oil embargo on the U.S.A.
Bob Leeson
Reply to Brian McHomen
I don't know, but they're scaring my very religious mom who thinks the exile to Jordon and the anti taking over that land is apparently a sign of the world's end coming soon according to the Book of Revelations, and judgement time in another 10 years later when a savior comes to take the righteous to heaven. She's 80 years old now though.
How local governments in B.C. want to 'choose Canada' in the face of U.S. tariff threat
Vancouver latest municipality to expedite plan to embrace ‘Team Canada’ approach
Vancouver city councillors have unanimously voted to align the city with a so-called 'Team Canada' approach other levels of government are taking in response to the U.S. tariff threat.
A motion moved by the sole opposition councillor on council, the Green's Pete Fry and subsequently supercharged by the mayor's office was embraced by all of of council Tuesday.
"We are completely united on this issue, and we're working together to be incredibly nimble," said Mayor Ken Sim.
"And really being prepared," added Fry. "I think that's a big part of our response … coming together to find solutions to support our local economy and support Canada."
The motion was originally brought as urgent new business by Fry last week, but was elevated to a special council meeting Tuesday.
Fry's original motion responded to a call from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking consumers to "choose Canada," in response to the U.S. tariff threat, by purchasing Canadian products and reducing the number of products imported from the U.S.
On Monday, Trump placed a 25 per cent tariff on all aluminum and steel imports, including Canada.
And other tariffs from the U.S. are still a possibility after months of threats. Canada won a 30 day reprieve from 25 per cent tariffs on virtually all its goods and 10 per cent on Canadian oil.
Trump has said the tariffs are necessary to deal with what he sees as border security issues around fentanyl and illegal immigration.
WATCH | CBC News' Katie DeRosa explains B.C.'s Trump's tariff pain:
Tariff truce upended as Trump takes aim at Canadian steel and aluminum importsVancouver Mayor Ken Sim, in concert with Fry over the last week, vastly expanded the motion to ultimately chart a path that would bolster Vancouver's economy to withstand uncertainty that could be a hallmark of President Trump's four-year term.
"There's a lot of fear out there now and we're all working together to make sure we're making this place a little better for everyone, " said Sim.
Council ideas are preliminary and will require staff to investigate and report back on them, but they include:
- Establishing an internal roundtable to facilitate the rapid response to tariffs.
- Possible temporary fee reductions for patio permits and special event permits.
- Possible property tax deferral for commercial and/or light industrial properties.
- Exploring so-called split business licences for businesses to offer more services without multiple licences.
The motion also calls for the creation of a mayor's task force, "with a mandate to examine new pathways to make Vancouver the most competitive city for business in North America, including an aspirational goal to achieve an annual three per cent growth in GDP."
The goal comes from the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, which said its three per cent challenge to local governments is meant to ensure financial security and improved affordability.
"The best thing the city can do is act within its powers to make it easier to set up and run a business," said CEO Bridgitte Anderson in a statement.
"By speeding up permitting, reducing red tape, controlling costs, taxes and fees and continuing to support public safety, we will see meaningful benefits for our community."
WATCH | CBC News explains B.C. and U.S. trade relationship:
Why British Columbia is in a unique position when it comes to tariffsTamara Krawchenko, associate professor in public administration at the University of Victoria and chair of the school's local governance hub, said Vancouver has been a leader in procurement policies in the past and Tuesday's motion could inspire other local governments.
"I think that B.C. might be quite particularly progressive in thinking about sustainability and local supply chains in procurement at the local level," she said. "And I don't know that that's actually true across Canada."
Other local B.C. governments are making plans for "buy Canada" or already have them in place in relation to procurement and services.
On Feb. 3, Delta councillors passed a motion to have staff write to B.C. Premier David Eby to ask the province to, "amend all applicable legislation to allow cities to accept only Canadian businesses in procurement bids.
The next day on Feb. 4, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley posted a notice of motion calling for a 'buy local and buy Canadian," from all residents and a similar approach be implemented for the city's procurement, "where feasible and in accordance with trade agreements and best value principles."
Already buying Canadian?
An email from City of Vancouver staff said in 2024, the city did direct business with 224 U.S. vendors worth $6.1 million dollars Cdn. From 2009 to the present, the city has done business with 32,000 vendors, with the vast majority, 91 per cent, of them Canadian.
Eight per cent of suppliers, 2,451, were from the United States, while one per cent, 189, were from other countries.
In a report going to councillors in New Westminster on Tuesday, staff said of the 2,788 vendors the city has or currently uses, 2,699, or 97 per cent, are Canadian vendors.
"The city's practices around procuring goods and/or services has always been to source Canadian made alternatives first before sourcing foreign made products," said the report.
On Wednesday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke cancelled plans to purchase portable bleachers from a U.S. supplier. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
On Wednesday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke cancelled a proposed contract with an American supplier, "to prioritize Canadian interests amid looming U.S. tariffs," according to a news release from the city.
It had planned to spend $740,000 for eight mobile towable bleachers, primarily sourced from a U.S. company.
"In light of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs, it is imperative that we act decisively to protect Canada's interests," Locke said in the statement.
"I have decided to reevaluate our sourcing options for critical infrastructure improvements. This challenging situation underscores the need to prioritize Canadian jobs, bolster local businesses, and ensure the economic stability of our communities."
She said more than 99 per cent of Surrey's procurement has been from Canadian suppliers since 2020, while only 0.58 per cent has been from U.S. companies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Denis van humbeck
It will take a lot of steel to rebuild Gaza if Trump takes it over.
Brian McHomen
PM Carney please
Anne Wallenberg
Danes offer to buy California to spite Trump’s Greenland aims: ‘We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood’
Satirical petition from Denmark, which owns Greenland, racks up 200,000 signatures as Trump eyes Arctic island
Marge Timmons
I would imagine it would take a lot steel to build an east/west pipeline
Julia LeBeau
Reply to Marge Timmons
PVC pipes? :)
Russell Jones
Cant beat that Chinese steel!
BD Morgan
Reply to Russell Jones
7% of steel imports to Canada are from China so about 2% of total Canadian steel.
Albalita Star
Reply to Russell Jones
China can make anything you want...they can make cheap steel or good steel....you decide....do you want a $10 toaster or a good $100 toaster.....people want a $10 toaster it seems...
Anne Wallenberg
In response to Mr. Trump’s first metal tariffs, the European Union imposed a 25% tariff on American whiskey. A deal negotiated by the American and European governments to suspend those tariffs is set to expire soon. If another agreement is not reached, the European Union is set to double that tariff to 50% on April 1.
Anne Wallenberg
Reply to Anne Wallenberg
Chris Swonger, the chief executive of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said in a statement that the tariff would have a “catastrophic outcome” for 3,000 small distilleries across the United States.
“We are urging that the U.S. and E.U. move swiftly to find a resolution,” Mr. Swonger said. “Our great American whiskey industry is at stake.”
NYT
Mike Fowler
Reply to Anne Wallenberg
It gets better.
Canadian distilleries will be allowed to labour our product as "bourbon".
Margie Anderson
Reply to Mike Fowler
We grow lots of corn so why not!
No comments:
Post a Comment