B.C. Premier David Eby said it has been a morning of “chaos and confusion trying to understand what is happening at the White House – the chaos there, the conflicting messages just this morning.”
Eby held a brief press conference on Friday afternoon on the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs going into effect on Saturday.
The White House said a Friday report that Trump was delaying new tariffs on Canada and Mexico by a month is “false,” and said the tariffs are still set to go ahead starting Saturday.
“I was just with the president in the Oval Office, and I can confirm that tomorrow, the Feb. 1 deadline that President Trump put into place in a statement several weeks ago, continues,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday.
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“The president will be implementing tomorrow a 25 per cent tariff on Mexico and 25 per cent tariffs on Canada, and a 10 per cent tariff on China.”
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B.C. premier says he expects federal government response to tariffs to be robust
Earlier this week, the B.C. government announced it is forming a new cabinet committee to act as a “day-to-day war room” that responds to proposed U.S. tariffs.
In a Wednesday media release, Eby announced Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon will head the committee, tasked with co-ordinating a “whole of government” tariff response.
This story will be updated following Eby’s availability on Friday afternoon.
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