B.C. Premier David Eby Monday (Feb. 10) evening called on the federal government to respond proportionally to American tariffs imposed on Canadian-made steel and aluminum. 

Eby made that comment in Vancouver prior to departing for Washington, D.C. where he will join provincial and territorial leaders to convince American lawmakers that tariffs will hurt American consumers. Eby was scheduled to depart Tuesday morning, but moved up his travels because of weather. 

The Canadian delegation will meet with Democratic and Republican lawmakers as well as union leaders Feb. 12 after the United States imposed 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum Monday effective March 4. 

While it is not clear yet how Ottawa would respond to the American measures, Eby said he is certain that Ottawa would respond. "(Certainly), we call on them to respond proportionately to ensure that we send the message that we are not going to roll over on this stuff," he said. "We are going to fight hard, we are going to defend our country."

Eby said this trip is about sending a message that tariffs won't just hurt Canadian families, but also American families. "These tariffs, even just the tariffs announced today, are going to increase the cost of so many things for Americans, everything from cars to airplanes and it doesn't have to be this way," he said. 

Eby specifically singled out B.C.'s importance as a source of aluminum. The United States can produce about 1.5 million metric tons of aluminum, some 3.5 million metric tons short of what that country needs. "That additional aluminum has to come from somewhere else and that means that the announcement today means the Americans are paying 25 per cent more for aluminum. They are taxing themselves." 

Eby also echoed earlier comments from B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, who said that B.C. producers of aluminum and steel can eventually find markets. "(I) have confidence in the products we produce, in our amazing ports here and the ability to get these global commodities onto the water (to) buyers around the world," Eby said. 

The Council of Federation representing provincial and territorial leaders organized the upcoming meeting with American lawmakers with details about their identity not publicly available at this moment. Black Press Media has reached out to Council of Federation currently chaired by Ontario Premier Doug Ford for additional details. 

Eby said he has been encouraging meetings with Republicans. "This is a Republican-led initiative against Canada," he said. "It's a group we need to talk to. Obviously, we need to help them understand the importance of our tightly linked economies...while they may think that they are trying to get something from Canada, it is just Mutually Assured Damage. It's a war where the shrapnel goes in all directions."

However, it is not clear yet whether the delegation will meet with decision-makers closest to U.S. President Donald Trump. "If we are fortunate enough to get one of those meetings, that will be potentially confirmed as close to as the day before or the day of the meeting," Eby said, adding the Canadian delegation is working hard to get those meetings. 

Eby also added that he has already extended his time in Washington, D.C. to meet with leaders of major unions to reach their members, some of whom had voted for Trump. He added that he would extend his time to reach decision-makers. "But at the same time, I do think delivering that message to every-day Americans about how their costs are going to go up may be one of our best strategies."

Speaking with Black Press Media before Eby's departure and before the official imposition of tariffs, Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad said he hopes the delegation won't be confrontational. "So hopefully, they go there with the right attitude, the right tone, to be able to negotiate on behalf of Canadians, British Columbians and not just looking to advance a fight," he said. 

Rustad added that the current dispute offers grounds to avoid future tariffs by reforming internal trade policies. "Trump has made it clear that things like supply management and the auto sector are going to be big targets for him," he said, adding that those issues will come up once the current pause of 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods ends in early March. "So my hope is, once again, that we can set the right tone for how we continue a good trade relationship with the Americans." 

Looming behind the tariffs on Canadian-made steel and aluminum is the question of trust as the United States exempted neither Canada nor Mexico from those specific tariffs. 

"You can't at all," Rustad said, when asked how much international partners can trust Trump.

"Trump enjoys being volatile, he enjoys being unpredictable and so he is going to continue to do that," Rustad said. "That's just the environment we are in. The question is do we have the leadership in David Eby and Justin Trudeau to be able to see through that or are they just going to be looking to try to score political points?"

But how do negotiate with somebody is untrustworthy? "Trump's negotiation tactics are unorthodox, from what we see," Rustad said. "But once he negotiates an agreement, it will be done," Rustad said.

Not everyone agrees with this. Observers have pointed out that the tariffs violate the revised free trade agreement, which the U.S. negotiated during Trump's first term. "So he has already indicated that he wants to pull out of that agreement in 2026, that is what he will do," Rustad said. "So the process that he is going through right now, I think, is setting the tone in terms of where the negotiations will end up being." 

Ultimately, Canada needs to diversify its economy away from the United States, Rustad said in calling for the lowering of trade barriers within Canada and the building up the infrastructure like pipelines to parts of the country like Quebec that have so far opposed them.