VICTORIA — British Columbia’s premier says Canadians need to “keep the pressure up” on the United States by buying local and avoiding travel there, despite a recent push from California to draw visitors from Canada.
David Eby says he spoke with Californian Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday — the same day the governor launched a campaign to “encourage” Canadians to visit despite the ongoing tensions between Canada and the United States.
Eby says that while he is glad to see the state suing the Donald Trump White House over its tariff regime, many Canadians are “not ready to go to the States” with tariffs and annexation still a threat.
The premier says that for Canadians, buying our groceries and where we spend our vacation is the thing we can do to send a multi-billion- dollar-message to the Trump administration.
Eby says we can’t ease up on that pressure, because we know that as soon as that happens, the U.S. president will go back to his preferred tactics of attacking Canadians.
He says Canada is also in a unique situation where it still faces U.S. tariffs on its aluminum and steel, softwood lumber, and automotive goods, despite the United States putting reciprocal tariffs on a 90-day hold.
The premier says he had “a really good conversation” with Newsom and was encouraged to see that the state is fighting the tariffs in the courts, and the two jurisdictions will “find ways to connect” in keeping “strong people-to-people” ties.
Newsom’s lawsuit filed Wednesday argues that enacting the tariffs require congressional approval, and that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act used by Trump to impose trade barriers on Canada, Mexico and China does not allow for the adoption of tariffs.
The Trump White House has slammed the Californian lawsuit, calling the tariffs “historic efforts to finally address the national emergency” of the United States’ “persistent goods trade deficits.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2025.
The Canadian Press
