Eby gets White House pushback after calling Trump's 51st state plan a 'non-starter'
Premiers' White House meeting was constructive, B.C. premier says
After British Columbia Premier David Eby and fellow premiers emerged from a White House meeting with advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, he wanted to make something clear — Canada would not become the 51st state.
"We had frank conversations about the 51st state comment where we underlined that that was a non-starter, that was obviously consistent among all the premiers," he said, referring to Trump's recent musings about Canada joining the United States.
That might be an uncontroversial position north of the border, but it received swift pushback from Trump's deputy chief of staff James Blair.
"To be clear, we never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state," Blair posted on social media platform X. "We only agreed to share Premier Eby's comments."
Eby had alluded to "some very frank moments across the table" at the hastily arranged meeting for the premiers who are in Washington, D.C., to make the case against Trump's threatened tariffs on Canadian exports.
Nevertheless, Blair called it a "pleasant meeting," while Eby said it was "a good and constructive conversation. I think it was positive."
Trump's director of presidential personnel Sergio Gor was also at the meeting.
Eby said the advisers told the premiers they should take Trump at his word about his concerns of fentanyl crossing the border.
In addition, they urged the premiers to take Trump's interest in ensuring the U.S. is treated fairly in terms of trade seriously.
Eby said American officials indicated Trump may be interested in meeting with the premiers in the future, and that discussions would continue after other U.S. administration officials are confirmed in their positions.
B.C. looking for other customers
Prior to the meeting, Eby said the "last thing" that British Columbia is considering is further economic integration with the U.S.
Instead, B.C. is "looking for other customers" for everything from aluminum to seafood, Eby told reporters in Washington, D.C.
"Canada will never be the 51st state, but there's lots we can talk about in terms of working closely together on transnational organized crime, or whatever it is the president is interested in," Eby said.
"We don't have to fight and cause economic damage to each other."
Trump has made comments about making Canada the 51st state and has threatened a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods and 10 per cent on energy, on top of 25 per cent tariffs on aluminum and steel announced on Monday.
Eby joined Canada's premiers in Washington this week as part of the Council of the Federation, which represents all provincial and territorial premiers and is chaired by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The premiers were invited to the White House for a meeting with senior advisers to the president on Wednesday and cancelled all their other engagements for the afternoon.
Eby told reporters earlier Wednesday that it's puzzling why the U.S. would place a tariff on aluminum that they cannot get elsewhere.
"We've had a series of really positive discussions with representatives, both Democrats and Republicans alike, and the common theme among all the meetings is that the elected representatives from all parties understand the importance of the relationship between the United States and Canada," Eby said.
The ongoing tariff threats come at "a cost of prosperity" to British Columbians, Canadians and Americans alike, he said.
"That's the message we're trying to deliver here," Eby said.
The continued threats of tariffs and uncertainty give British Columbia only one choice and that is to look to other customers, he said.
"We encourage the federal government, if we get hit, to hit back. But none of us wants to be in this fight," Eby said.
"We didn't ask for it, but we should definitely not shy away from it."
Aluminum sector looks for other markets
British Columbia's aluminum sector will find new markets beyond the U.S., provincial Mines Minister Jagrup Brar said, after the prospect of American tariffs as high as 50 per cent on Canadian metal exports emerged.
Trump's planned 25 per cent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum would be stacked on top of a broad 25 per cent levy on Canadian goods, said a White House official who confirmed the plan on background.
"Whether it's 25 per cent or more, it's going to affect families and businesses on both sides. There's no doubt about that," Brar said in an interview on Tuesday.
"We are very confident that we can help the aluminum business access markets as quickly as possible."
Brar said it takes roughly five years to get an aluminum smelter up and running, so U.S. consumers would be paying more for goods made from aluminum for at least that amount of time.
"It's a fact that B.C. is well positioned to diversify our trade and help businesses access new markets," Brar said.
The 25 per cent U.S. tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports were announced Monday and are set to take effect on March 12. Trump previously threatened 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy, and said those tariffs could still proceed in early March.
B.C. produces aluminum as well as metallurgical coal, which is used to make steel. While some of B.C.'s metallurgical coal is exported to the U.S., most of it is shipped to other markets such as Asia, Brar said.