Opinion: A day of slogans, signs, and other empty gestures by a government that had nothing new to announce on the tariff front
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VICTORIA — Premier David Eby chose a costume party theme for a media event this week to mark the latest round in the emerging trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Eby donned what he called a “Salmo dinner jacket” on Tuesday, telling reporters it was “the most Canadian piece of clothing” in his wardrobe.
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Some saw plaid, reminiscent of the shirt Gordon Campbell wore in an ill-advised gesture of populism prior to the 1996 provincial election, which he lost.
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Others thought “lumberjack shirt,” and wondered if it were a wise choice for a premier presiding over the ruin of the forest industry, much of it predating Trump and owing to NDP policies, taxes and regulations.
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Sunrise
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All characteristic of a day of slogans, signs, and other empty gestures by a government that had nothing new to announce on the tariff front.
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The latter was evident when Eby took questions from the news media and was asked about promised “countermeasures” against the U.S. Could he hint what those might be?
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“I look forward to having more to share about what we’re identifying in the days and weeks to come,” replied Eby.
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Okay, got it: No story here.
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The premier also faced questions about things that didn’t work in the past. Such as Bill-7, the tariff response legislation enacted in early 2025. How did it lessen the impact of tariffs on British Columbians?
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“Well, we ended up not deploying the bill,” Eby conceded. “The prime minister and his team were engaged with the U.S. … I had no wish to disrupt that important work and the bill has sunsetted.”
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Another bill from that era, the Infrastructure Project Act, was introduced by Eby as a necessary and “urgent” response to expedite public construction in the wake of the Trump tariffs. It was ramrodded through the legislature in May of last year.
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Yet most of its provisions have yet to be proclaimed into law, being stalled by the NDP’s commitment to Indigenous consultations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. So much for Eby’s urgency.
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More than once Tuesday, Eby fell back on the one NDP-authored measure that did get attention south of the border, the expulsion of U.S. booze from government liquor stores.
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“That’s the kind of lens that we’re bringing to the additional measures that we’re looking at putting in place here in B.C.,” he said at one point.
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But again, no details.
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The hollowness of Tuesday’s event was fully on display near the end when Eby urged British Columbians to “be our own best customer” and buy B.C.
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“Buying local is choosing B.C.-made cereal for your breakfast, bread that’s baked here, B.C.-brewed beer, and other B.C.-made products that are made close to home,” preached the premier.
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“It is also choosing a local accountant, an engineer or consultant when your business needs advice. … It’s about services too.”
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From this year’s provincial budget: “Effective Oct. 1, 2026 the following services will become subject to the provincial sales tax: accounting and bookkeeping services; architectural services; engineering and geoscience services; rental property and strata management services and commissions related to buying and selling non-residential real estate; and security and private investigation services.”
