VICTORIA — British Columbia's government has depicted the province on a battle footing against the threat of U.S. tariffs, as it faces its “most consequential time” since the Second World War.
The NDP government's agenda, outlined in a throne speech delivered by Lt.-Gov. Wendy Cocchia on Tuesday, evoked wartime imagery with references to Winston Churchill, D-Day and the fight against Nazism.
"The historic bond between Canada and the United States has been strained in profound ways," she said, adding that "trust has been broken and will not easily be repaired."
"No matter what the future has in store, one thing has been made clear: We will not leave our future success to the whims of unpredictable forces from beyond our borders,” Cocchia said.
The opening of the legislative session came amid ongoing threats from the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, and his repeated assertions that Canada should become the 51st state.
Cocchia said in the speech on behalf of the government of Premier David Eby that a "tariff war" with the United States would be devastating to families on both sides of the border but the province must fight back if required.
"B.C. will respond to any economic attack on our families, firmly and forcefully, as part of a united Team Canada effort," Cocchia said.
"This is not a fight we started. This is not a fight we want. But we won’t ever roll over or let our guard down."
Asked later about the speech's abundant war imagery, Eby told reporters that there were "moments in history" when British Columbians came together and now is one of those times, with B.C. facing an "outsized and significantly more powerful foe" in the form of the U.S. president.
He said it made little difference to someone who lost their home whether it was bombed in a war or foreclosed upon because the owner lost their job.
Opposition leader John Rustad told reporters after the throne speech that fentanyl, which is one of the key trade issues with the U.S., was only mentioned briefly.
"There wasn't a mention of how to plan to tackle that head-on. As a province, we need to be able to address this far more succinctly than what is happening in British Columbia," Rustad said.
The BC Green caucus said in a statement that the government is stuck in a reactive cycle rather than pursuing a forward-thinking strategy.
“It's easy to employ wartime analogies in face of a fresh, headline-grabbing crisis, but a government with a real vision for the future needs to be laser focused on delivering results to all the long-standing crises British Columbians are facing,” said Jeremy Valeriote, interim leader of the BC Greens and MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
The speech said British Columbians had been put on a "roller-coaster ride" by the White House for the past four weeks, and they must prepare for it to continue for the next four years.
It said the government was responding with a three-part strategy: to strengthen and grow the economy, diversify trade relationships and respond to American threats.
All ministers have been instructed to speed up permit approvals to get projects built that will create jobs, the speech said.
It said the government would expand and strengthen business relationships with Asia, Europe and beyond, while upgrading infrastructure and improving supply chains to keep B.C. "competitive on the world stage and reach new markets efficiently."
It also said the government would break down interprovincial trade barriers.
"The bottom line is this: It should not be easier to buy and sell with Washington state than with our Canadian friends and neighbours," the speech said.
Ahead of the speech, Colin Hansen, a former finance minister in the BC Liberal government and a member of the legislature from 1996 to 2013, said now should be a time for politicians to "park" partisanship.
Hansen said in a phone interview on Monday that the magnitude of the potential impact of Trump's administration on B.C. meant that members of the legislature needed to put aside their differences and work together.
Rustad's upstart Conservatives came within a whisker of defeating the NDP, which holds 47 seats and clung to power with a one-seat majority. The Conservatives hold 44 seats, while the BC Greens elected two members who have agreed to support the NDP on confidence votes.
Trump's tariff threat and the uncertainty emerging from south of the border have already upended the NDP's agenda, cited last week in the cancellation of a $1,000 grocery rebate that had been a flagship promise in last year's provincial election.
Finance Minister Brenda Bailey also said last week that the government would have to "revisit" its election vow for a middle-income tax cut in future budgets at a time that B.C. faces an "unpredictable" future.
"For now it's on hold," Eby said of the tax cut after the throne speech. He said that in the future, the relationship with the U.S. might get back on track, but "that is not the trend line."
With the legislature back in session for the first time since the election — and for the first time in nine months — there was also the job of appointing a Speaker on Tuesday.
Raj Chouhan was the only person to put up their name. He was the previous Speaker in the last NDP government and the New Democrat MLA for Burnaby-New Westminster is expected to remain neutral except to vote in breaking a tie.
Chouhan put up the traditional mock show of resistance after being dragged to the Speaker's chair by the government and opposition house leaders.
The throne speech later began with tributes to departed figures, including Eby's predecessor as premier, John Horgan, who died of cancer in November, and former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died last February.
At its conclusion, there was a personal nod from Cocchia to the many new members of the legislature, as she delivered her first throne speech to an audience filled with freshmen MLAs.
But it was dominated in between by talk of war and patriotism. Even the references to the previous happier relationship with America was couched in terms of a "bond forged in battle."
"We stormed the beaches at Normandy together on D-Day, fighting to liberate Europe from fascism. For generations, our soldiers have died, cried and celebrated victory beside each other," it said.
It added that there remained "much we admire about our southern neighbour. "
"But we will never become the 51st state," the speech said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2025.
Marcy Nicholson, The Canadian Press