Behind-the-scenes scramble as B.C.’s ministers work to mitigate potential tariffs

The premier and prime minister have taken centre stage but ministers and their staff are also scrambling to shore up support and plan for the worst.

A flurry of activity is taking place in ministerial offices and trade missions as British Columbia takes an “all of government” tack to mitigate potential tariffs from the United States.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar is currently in California meeting with fire crews and in deep discussions with construction groups, government agencies and others as he works to shore up support for B.C.’s softwood lumber products.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated talking point about Canada becoming “the 51st state” inevitably comes up with Americans he meets with.

“They’re embarrassed by the president’s comments,” Parmar told reporters during a virtual briefing on Friday. “They also recognize that the cost of doing business is going to go up for them, whether it’s building homes, rebuilding homes, or just buying products (if tariffs are imposed).”

He said there’s already a 14 per cent duty on softwood lumber, and worries that after all tariffs and levies are added up over the coming weeks, the tariff could soar as high as “50 to 55 per cent.”

The B.C. Lumber Trade council points out some 100,000 people are employed in the forestry industry, directly and indirectly, and lumber companies already deal with high costs for doing business in the province.

“We’re better situated than other parts of Canada to diversify our trade,” said council president Kurt Niquidet. “But the U.S. is very important to us, 75 per cent of our softwood lumber exports are destined to the U.S.”

Looking further afield

The minister for jobs, economic development and innovation tells CTV News she and her team receive daily updates from other ministries and teams outside the province.

“We’ve got 50 different trade and invest representatives and over 14 different markets in South Pacific, EU, U.K.,” said Diana Gibson from her office in Victoria. “Every ministry is part of this conversation and will be impacted, whether it’s how we’re sourcing our health (care supplies), like beds and things for hospitals, or whether it’s our food security, which is hugely at stake.”

The minister of state for trade, Rick Glumac, went to Oregon to strengthen ties with trading partners there, while Gibson recently returned from a trip to Ontario where she met with her provincial counterparts on reducing trade barriers within the country.

“There was a real appetite for everyone to engage, really recognizing that this is a moment that we haven’t faced before,” she said. “We really need to come together to talk about how we can work to undo some of those barriers.”

She said her priorities are strengthening the economy and diversifying trade relationships, with an all-government strategy supporting those efforts.