BC Premier Eby Unveils Defiant Border Signs as Canada-US Tariffs Take Effect
British Columbia premier David Eby launches 'never the 51st state' signage at Victoria rally while warning of job losses on both sides of the border.
KEY POINTS
- BC Premier David Eby unveiled border signs reading 'never the 51st state. Sorry!' at a Victoria rally on September 8
- Canada's retaliatory tariffs up to 50% on ~$30B of U.S. goods took effect the same day
- U.S. imposed 50% tariff on ~$30B of Canadian goods after August 21 trade talk collapse
- Eby warned of job losses and business closures on both sides of the border
- BC Chamber of Commerce reports 16+ tariff changes in 21 months affecting real people
British Columbia Premier David Eby unveiled new border signs on Tuesday at a rally in Victoria's inner harbour, the same day Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports took effect. The signs will tell American visitors: "Welcome to B.C., Canada: strong, proud and will never be the 51st state. Sorry!" Eby called the message uniquely Canadian — confident, good-humoured, and unmistakably clear.
Canada imposed levies of up to 50 per cent on roughly $30 billion worth of U.S. products after trade talks collapsed on August 21. The U.S. had earlier applied a 50-per-cent tariff on a similar value of Canadian goods. Eby warned there is no avoiding job losses and business closures on both sides of the border, calling it the unfortunate reality of President Donald Trump's trade war.
“This is a uniquely Canadian message. It's confident, good-humoured, and it's unmistakably clear. British Columbia is part of Canada, and Canada is not for sale.”
Jen Riley, president of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, said B.C. businesses have absorbed more than sixteen tariff changes in twenty-one months, with real people behind each one. She supported the federal response in what she described as a "no-win" situation, adding that seeing the premier stand with the prime minister "counts for a lot."
Eby urged residents to "buy B.C." and promised a renewed campaign encouraging local spending, from homegrown food to choosing a local accountant. His government continues its ban on American alcohol in provincially run liquor stores and has not ruled out additional countermeasures. When asked about specific aid for affected business owners, Eby was vague.
Eby also invoked the memory of the September 11 attacks, saying Canadians stepped up to help the U.S. after the "horrific" events twenty-five years ago and would do so again, despite what he called insults, unfair tariffs, and threats to Canada's independence. He wore a red-and-black checkered "Salmo dinner jacket" he described as the single-most Canadian piece of clothing he owns.
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