B.C. poised to toll U.S. trucks driving to Alaska through province in tariff response

British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada should maintain retaliatory measures against the United States — such as possible tolls facing commercial trucks heading to Alaska — despite some tariffs being paused for a month.

Eby said during a news conference on Thursday that the province will introduce legislation in the coming days giving it the ability to levy fees on U.S. trucks travelling through the province to Alaska.

The legislation, if passed, would also give B.C. the authority to remove internal trade barriers with other Canadian jurisdictions, as well as the capability for rapid response to sudden and unexpected announcements from U.S. President Donald Trump.

“My message for the prime minister, for my colleagues across the country — and it’s one I’m sure they want to deliver to me too — is stand strong,” Eby said of the tariff threats.

“This is unacceptable, and we’re going to ensure that the Americans understand how pissed off we are, how unified we are, how committed we are to working as a country to stand up for each other,” Eby said. “And I say we don’t let up until the president takes the threat off the table.”

Trump signed an executive order Thursday pausing the tariffs on some Canadian goods related to the auto industry, and lowered levies on potash to 10 per cent.

In response, federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada is suspending its second wave of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products that are worth $125 billion, opting instead to continue its push for the Trump administration to drop all tariffs.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford doubled down on retaliatory measures Thursday following Trump’s announcement, saying the province will not back down from charging 25 per cent more for electricity shipped to 1.5 million Americans starting Monday.

In B.C., liquor from “red states” — or states where Trump’s Republican party is in control — has already been taken off store shelves, and Eby said it would not return if it were up to him.

“We’ll work with Team Canada on a unified approach,” he said. “But my inclination is, no, the products stay off the shelf. They’re not going back on the shelf until the threat is gone, and our actions and our responses will not stop until the threat is gone.

“The White House started a trade war we didn’t want, and we must answer with strength.”

Eby said the move against Alaska-bound trucks is part of a series of responses the province is planning to counter the tariffs imposed this week and include mandating that low-carbon fuels added to gasoline and diesel be produced in Canada.

The premier’s announcement came shortly after Trump’s decision to delay the implementation of some of the tariffs, and Eby said he’s unmoved by the pause.

“The threats, the orders rescinded, put in place — it’s all a deliberate tactic to weaken our resolve and it will not work,” Eby said.

“He wants to annex Canada and turn us into the 51st state,” Eby said. “Trump thinks he can bring us to our knees by threatening tariffs. Well, what he is seeing is that Canadians are standing tall (with) one voice.”

Eby also said the tariffs are a profound mistake, are hurting families on both sides of the border, and his team is working hard to ensure the province comes out stronger on the other side.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press