Horgan blasts U.S. protectionism
Trump administration ‘completely off the rails’
VICTORIA — Premier John Horgan says the American administration needs to “wake up” over trade tariffs on aluminum, pulp and softwood lumber.
Horgan said Monday that high demand for lumber south of the border has pushed up prices for Canadian products, and U.S. home builders are bearing the costs of softwood tariffs.
Horgan said American protectionism is unacceptable and not how the two countries should work together in a consensus-oriented trade arrangement.
The premier said he stands united with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada levies retaliatory duties to say ‘enough is enough.’ ”
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the tariffs on steel, aluminum and other products will put American companies and workers on a stronger footing by winding back globalization.
Horgan said it’s “tragic” to see what’s happened in the past 18 months on trade with the Trump administration.
“These types of activities are unacceptable and we see the entire world now turning on the administration saying, ‘What’s the deal, man?’ I think the Trump administration is completely off the rails.”
Horgan said the provinces, the federal government, businesses and industry need to speak with one voice in opposition to the tariffs.
B.C.’s forestry sector has been in the grip of a more activist U.S. trade policy for more than a year in its decades-long dispute with the American industry.
Last summer Horgan spent two days in Washington, D.C., meeting with trade officials from President Donald Trump’s administration and Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Horgan said then that he stressed the need for a renewed lumber trade pact that is fair to his province, Canada’s largest exporter of softwood lumber.
B.C. produces about half of Canada’s softwood lumber, and the forest industry accounts for 35 per cent of all B.C. goods exported.