Independent.
Fearless.
Reader funded.
News
Politics

BC NDP and Conservatives Take Opposing Positions on Trump Tariff Fight

Rustad urges conciliation while Eby says Canada must push back.

Jen St. Denis 23 Jan 2025The Tyee

Jen St. Denis is a reporter with The Tyee.

As the threat of U.S. tariffs looms, Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad is joining Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in urging a conciliatory approach while NDP Premier David Eby vows to fight back.

The war of words shows that despite calls to present a united front in the face of threats from Donald Trump — which have included attacks on Canada’s sovereignty — politicians haven’t been able to resist turning on each other in a polarized political landscape.

Both parties are playing politics, says Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia.

On Sunday, Rustad posted a video that criticized Eby for being too combative and “threatening to expand this trade war.”

Eby has said that if Trump makes good on his threat to impose punishing tariffs on Canada, B.C. would join with other provinces in supporting retaliatory tariffs.

Smith is the only premier not to go along with that unified approach, rejecting the idea of retaliatory tariffs and attempting to negotiate with Trump one-on-one in an effort to protect her province’s oil and gas sector. (On Wednesday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he does not want to see dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs implemented, but emphasized he was still committed to the united "Team Canada" approach to deal with the U.S. threats.)*

In his video statement, Rustad said B.C. should “be doing everything we can to work with the Americans, to try to make sure we protect our border, stop the flow of fentanyl into this province, deal with our port issues, and not creating a trade war.”

Trump has used concerns about border security as a reason for threatening 25 per cent tariffs and has repeatedly suggested Canada should become the 51st state. He has said he would use “economic force” to compel Canada to give up its sovereignty and complained about Canada’s trade surplus with the United States, which includes low-cost oil and gas Canada sells to the U.S.

Prest said Rustad’s comments “connect with the argument that Danielle Smith was making early on, validating President Trump's complaints and effectively saying he has valid concerns.”

On Monday B.C. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey told Global News that the province could support tariffs on products from “red states, where they will have impact and the potential to influence the people within Trump’s own party.”

Provinces cannot actually impose tariffs.

Prest warned that the BC NDP government’s threat to specifically target Republican states with retaliatory tariffs risks turning the conflict into a political struggle between left- and right-wing politics.

It suggests the government is “slipping into an ideological model which I think is really dangerous,” he said.

“A systematic attack on red states, or framing it in those terms, suggests that this is really an ideological battle — which it is not.”

While Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on Canada the day he took office, on Jan. 20, he later backed down and spoke about a new deadline of Feb. 1.

Supporters of Smith have credited the delay to her one-woman diplomatic efforts, but economist Werner Antweiler said the unified approach from the rest of the premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was likely more effective.

“Nobody here can claim credit alone,” said Antweiler, an associate professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business. “It is the notion of Canada coming together and standing together. And so if anyone can take the blame for not standing together, that's Danielle Smith.”

Antweiler also emphasized that there’s no valid reason for Trump to connect concerns about border security with Canada to his punishing tariff threats.

“What exactly is it that he would want us to do? He's never made clear, so the statements that have been coming from his camp were completely nebulous,” Antweiler said.

Asked about Rustad’s comments, Eby said he has yet to hear the Conservative leader say that Trump’s approach is wrong.

“I think that right now, what British Columbians are looking for, what they deserve, is a unified response from leadership in this province to say the tariffs are wrong,” he said Tuesday. “It's a mistake, and there should be consequences for the Americans if they impose the tariffs.”

Rustad has accused the BC NDP of “playing politics” with tariff threats.

“It is dangerous and irresponsible for Eby’s NDP to specifically tariff only Republican states, who may not be at fault, simply because the current U.S. president is Republican,” he said in a social media post. “This risks further politicizing the trade dispute and verges on cross-border political interference.”

A split in Conservative politics

Both Smith and Rustad represent a new version of Canadian Conservative politics that is much more sympathetic to Trump’s MAGA movement, including a willingness to entertain conspiracy theories, roll back LGBTQ2S+ rights and public health care and embrace socially conservative viewpoints.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the federal Conservative party, seems to be trying to find a line to walk between this new, more hardline right-wing politics that includes voters who admire Trump, and more traditional conservatism, Prest said.

In recent press conferences, Poilievre has tried to keep the focus on criticizing Trudeau and calling for an election to be held as quickly as possible.

He’s also mirrored Trump’s “America first” language, calling for a “Canada first” approach, and has called Trump a “highly successful businessman... who can spot weakness a mile away.”

“We have not heard a great deal from Poilievre on this, other than talk of being stronger and finding every possible escape hatch to make it about Trudeau as quickly as possible,” Prest said.

This week, Poilievre released a statement saying the Canadian border is weak and “our American counterparts say they want to stop the illegal flow of drugs and other criminal activity at the border.” He called on the Liberal government to recall Parliament to authorize spending to improve border security that Trudeau has announced.

“We also need retaliatory tariffs, something that requires urgent parliamentary consideration,” he said.

* Story updated on Jan. 23 at 9:02 a.m. to include additional information on Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's position on tariffs.  [Tyee]

Read more: Politics

  • Share:

Get The Tyee's Daily Catch, our free daily newsletter.

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion and be patient with moderators. Comments are reviewed regularly but not in real time.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Keep comments under 250 words
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others or justify violence
  • Personally attack authors, contributors or members of the general public
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

Most Popular

Most Commented

Most Emailed

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Are You Worried about Trump’s Tariffs?

Take this week's poll