British Columbia Premier David Eby says he’s encouraging Prime Minister Mark Carney to look at non-tariff measures in response to the latest escalation in the trade war with the United States.
Eby applauded Carney’s steps to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump after talks broke down Friday, saying Ottawa’s dollar-for-dollar response to 50 per cent tariffs on an array of Canadian goods was proportionate and would afford Canadian businesses some protection.
The premier also told reporters at a BC Liquor store in Vancouver on Tuesday that federal supports for workers affected by the latest round of punishing U.S. tariffs are a “good start.”
But he said Ottawa’s response is missing key elements, including revisiting the planned purchase of fighter jets from the United States and the shipping of American coal from a B.C. port, currently set to be phased out by 2030.
Eby’s comments come after trade talks collapsed on Friday and the Trump administration hit Canada with 50 per cent tariffs on $28 billion worth of goods. He said the latest U.S. tariffs were an unjustified attack on families, and an “extortionate attempt” by U.S. President Donald Trump to bend Canada “to his whims and his will.”
Carney has announced that Canada would respond in kind with matching tariffs kicking in on Sept. 8, along with support for affected sectors, but Eby said Ottawa should look at other potential targets in response to Trump’s attacks.
“First of all, when your friend kicks you in the back, one of the first rules is you don’t then go and buy $12 billion of fighter jets from that person,” he said, referring to the planned purchase of F-35 jets, already the subject of a review by Carney’s government that was launched at the outset of the trade war in early 2025.
Eby also pointed to the export of American thermal coal from a port facility in Metro Vancouver, saying Ottawa should look at speeding up the phase-out.
“The reason it goes out of (the port) is because the Americans can’t get it out of any of their own ports, they won’t ship it themselves.”
Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad once proposed a levy on the U.S. thermal coal shipments to pressure the White House not to put tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.
“I think that this is something that the federal government should be looking at as well,” said Eby.
“We haven’t seen those measures yet, but I am encouraging the prime minister to look at non-tariff measures to respond as well to what the Americans are trying to do to Canadians.”
Eby said B.C., Ontario and Quebec were being “disproportionately impacted” by the trade war, and it was important to see federal leadership in supporting affected sectors, with a $7.5-billion trade relief package pledged by Ottawa, though he added the process for businesses to access supports should be as smooth as possible.
On Saturday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told American media that the Trump administration had offered to cut tariffs on lumber — an issue repeatedly pressed by Eby — but Greer said Canada “didn’t want” the deal.
Eby said people should be careful of any American assertions about what happened in the talks.
“I will say this: from what I understood from the Canadian side, is that there was progress being made on the softwood file, and it is disappointing, obviously, that wasn’t made real in terms of a new agreement,” said Eby.
“But let’s not be naive about this. Any agreement that would have been signed with this president wouldn’t have lasted as long as it took him to write his signature.”
He said the only way to deal with “a thug and a bully is to stand up to him.”
“That’s why the prime minister’s step was the right one, and I am proud of the prime minister for doing that.” said Eby.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2026.
By Nono Shen | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.