B.C. border signs to declare Canada 'never the 51st state' in province's response to trade war

B.C. Premier David Eby holds a media availability at Victoria's Inner Harbour on September 8, 2026. Photo by Province of British Columbia /Flickr

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B.C. Premier David Eby said Tuesday that the welcome signs at the U.S. border will make the province’s intentions clear that it’s “all in for Team Canada” in the escalating trade war with America.

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After the typical “Welcome to B.C., Canada,” new markers will emphatically state the country is “strong, proud and NEVER the 51st state. Sorry.”

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“This is a uniquely Canadian message, confident, good humour and it’s unmistakably clear,” Eby said. “British Columbia is part of Canada, and Canada is not for sale.”

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However, that light moment didn’t overshadow the serious tone of Eby’s remarks, in which he made it clear that the trade war will be costly, but that B.C. is planning its own measures to support Team Canada.

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“Nobody wanted this trade war,” Eby said. “Canadians sure didn’t start it, and working families on both sides of the border will be worse off because of it.”

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B.C. Premier David Eby holds a media availability at Victoria’s Inner Harbour on September 8, 2026. Photo by Province of British Columbia /Flickr

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Eby said measures will include a renewed ‘Buy B.C.’ campaign, which will pull in more products and services than its first round a year ago, to encourage British Columbians to become “our own best customers.”

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It will extend to continuing efforts to diversify trade so B.C. isn’t as dependent on the U.S. and Eby said he wouldn’t rule out retaliatory measures on top of the ban on U.S. liquor and wine on B.C. Liquor Store shelves, though he didn’t specify any additional examples of what those might be.

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Eby delivered his remarks from a podium in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, right next to the B.C. legislature, on the same day that Canada’s reciprocal tariffs on some $28 billion in U.S. exports took effect and not long after Prime Minister Mark Carney posted his own rallying cry in a video message to Canadians. In his message, Carney didn’t unveil any new support measures, but did restate his assessment that the U.S. position in trade talks would undermine key Canadian industries, including forestry, which is why he had to walk away from the deal.

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For his part, Eby offered a sober assessment about the challenges British Columbians face, while also trying to convey that B.C. will back workers and businesses over the long haul.

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“The road ahead is not easy,” Eby said. “And while we’ll continue building new opportunities, there is no getting around the fact that people will lose their jobs and businesses will close on both sides of the border.”

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He added that this will be “the unfortunate reality of Trump’s trade war,” and “we’re all asking British Columbians, my colleagues and I, to do what we always do in moments when our neighbours are in distress. We have to look out for one another.”

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By the time Eby spoke, Trump had already given an indication that the U.S. side will escalate the trade tiff by ordering government procurement officials to exclude Canadian-origin products from government contracts.

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The measure came after a long weekend in which Trump ramped up threats, including a threat to ban Bombardier-manufactured aircraft from the American market, and posted numerous belittling memes that targeted Carney.