
B.C. government introduces legislation giving itself sweeping powers to deal with U.S. trade threats
The B.C. government has introduced legislation that would give itself sweeping powers to respond to threats from U.S. tariffs and their impact on the provincial economy
If passed, it would allow the government to respond without first having to go through the B.C. Legislature for debate.
Premier David Eby said the response is necessary given the unpredictable nature of the Trump presidency and its potential impact on British Columbians.
Attorney General Niki Sharma said the Economic Stabilization Tariff Response Act, tabled earlier on Thursday, would be temporary and would expire no later than "mid-2027."

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Montreal Gazette
18 minutes ago
- Montreal Gazette
Anti-Trump group plans rally June 24 to celebrate Maine-Quebec Friendship Day
By Susan Schwartz A rally celebrating June 24 as Maine-Quebec Friendship Day is to take place at the state capitol, in Augusta, and its principal organizer wants Quebecers to know 'we in Maine value our relationship with the people of Quebec.' 'We believe it's very important that the people know how much we value and love them and love Quebec and Quebecers,' said Louis Sigel, who lives in Gardiner, just outside Augusta. The rally, to begin at noon and last about 90 minutes, is intended as an opportunity to celebrate the relationship of Maine residents with their Quebec neighbours, and also 'to protest against tariffs and the attitude of our federal government to cause friction with Canadians, who we care about a great deal,' Sigel said. 'We really want the people in Quebec to know that we don't like the government in Washington and what they are trying to do. We strongly believe in free trade. We think the agreement of free trade with Canada should be abided by and we especially have a strong feeling for Quebec. 'We want to emphasize that we are not like the people in Washington and certainly we are not like (United States President Donald) Trump. Tariffs are absolutely the worst possible economic policy for Maine,' Sigel said. 'We are protesting the attempts to destroy our democracy and establish a monarchy under Trump.' The rally is being organized by Indivisible, a progressive movement and organization formed in 2016 in response to Trump's election to a first term. Sigel, 81, is the lead organizer for Indivisible for Kennebec and Somerset counties. He said he has asked for a resolution from the legislature establishing June 24, Fête nationale, as Maine-Quebec Friendship Day and a proclamation from Maine Gov. Janet Mills. Indivisible held rallies in Augusta on International Women's Day and May Day. In addition to a permit for the rally on June 24, it has permits for rallies on July 14, Bastille Day, and on Aug. 18 celebrating the 105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote. 'And we intend to have a rally almost every month to fight this government until we have Democratic control in Congress,' Sigel said. Maine's state legislature has a strong Franco-American caucus, he said. 'The largest ethnic minority in Maine is franco, especially in St. John Valley, along the border with New Brunswick, and there are families on both sides of the border who are related,' Sigel said. 'Every summer, there is a big Acadian festival in Madawaska, which is right on the border with New Brunswick ... Edmundston has a jazz festival and people go back and forth across the border.' There is a strong Franco-American presence in Maine, descended from the St. John River Valley Acadians, who settled in the north of the state after being expelled from the Maritimes by the British, and French-Canadians who came from Quebec in the 19th century seeking better employment opportunities, mainly in the mills, and stayed. Sigel, who majored in Chinese studies at Yale University and earned a PhD in history from Harvard University, spent much of his university teaching career in Australia. On returning to North America in the early 1980s, he taught in Missouri and Kentucky before being hired at Colby College in Maine to replace a professor on a sabbatical; he loved Maine and decided to stay. For more than a decade, he has owned a house on Île d'Orléans, an island in the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City and one of the first parts of the province to be colonized by the French. A large percentage of French-Canadians can trace their ancestry to the island's early residents. Sigel enjoys the winter carnival in Quebec City and the Festival d'été de Québec, and also appreciates the changing colours of leaves in autumn. He especially loves the food on Île d'Orléans. 'I think Quebec is the nicest place in North America,' he said.


National Post
22 minutes ago
- National Post
Adam Pankratz: David Eby's CleanBC initiative a greater hit to economy than Trump's tariffs
Article content Open any book on politics and you will find that, in Canada, the NDP stands for the New Democratic Party. In British Columbia under David Eby, the acronym needs to be updated to — Not Delivering Prosperity. Article content Since Eby and his government took over in 2022, British Columbia has been an economic basket case. The deficit projection for 2025 was revised upwards in March to $10.9 billion — a record — which followed hot on the heels of the 2024 deficit of $9.1 billion — also a record until 2025 stole the deficit crown. The result in April was a downgrade to BC's credit rating from AA to A+. By any measure, the outlook is grim, as total debt for the province is predicted to soar by 70 per cent over the next three years. Article content Article content The ruling NDP and Premier David Eby have been quick to blame economic woes on Donald Trump and his tariff policies. While tariffs are no doubt hurting B.C. — as they are all of Canada — this tactic is already tired. In truth, the damage appears to be mostly self-inflicted, caused by poor budgeting and economic policy driven by ideology rather than actual economics. Article content Article content At the B.C. Chamber of Commerce AGM on June 4th, Ken Peacock, the former Chief Economist at the Business Council of B.C., presented analysis indicating the NDP's CleanBC initiative has actually been a far greater hit to the province's sputtering economy than any tariffs. From 2019-2024 it cost B.C. $29.3 billion in lost GDP and is projected to cost the province a further $109.7 billion between now and 2029. That's David Eby's economic leadership in action: ideology torpedoing economic prosperity for hard working British Columbians. Article content Eby and the NDP will of course point to the fact that they have passed Bill 14 and 15. Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, is ostensibly a bill to speed up major infrastructure project development, particularly in the resource industry. Eby and the NDP say the bills are 'critically important' to respond to a 'rapidly evolving situation' (read Trump) rather than acknowledge their need as a result of the NDP's actions in creating a provincial economic dud. Bill 15 gives cabinet sweeping powers to override existing regulations for projects in the provincial interest and fast-track them to permitting. It has been met with serious pushback from B.C. Municipalities and from First Nations who claim it ignores their voices and dismisses their rights. Article content Article content While any business which has tried to work in the province's economically critical resource sector may applaud the notion of a government finding ways to stop B.C.'s quagmire of delays and regulatory hell, the bill fails to address the real problem and merely hands unmerited power to a small group of NDP ideologues. This is always the Eby NDP way: power consolidation for decision making. Article content Article content The problem should be obvious to any free-market supporter. Bill 15 does not reignite B.C.'s economy by streamlining regulation for private enterprise; it merely allows cabinet to pick and choose which projects it will decide to ram through any further regulatory oversight. This is ripe for abuse and political interference. It is a pay-to-play system where randomness and arbitrary decisions based on cabinet whims, without clear process, will become the norm. Eby's NDP claim the bill brings investment clarity, in fact, it does anything but. Article content The vague backroom modus operandi of the NDP is, however, consistent in one way. They echo the closed-door decision-making attempts and history of the NDP when deciding how the province's crown land will be used; something essential for investment and resource development. This important process has been shrouded in secrecy on multiple occasions. The latest announcement in this regard covers all of Northwestern B.C. including the mineral-rich Golden Triangle. As a result, nearly a third of British Columbia is now subject to a one year pause on new mining-tenure registrations. This is the exact of opposite of what attracts investment to the province and will send the critical dollars B.C. needs to friendlier investment regions. Article content David Eby's NDP has bankrupted the province and has no plan back for the simple reason that they cannot trust the free market to do its work. They are trapped in an ideologically-driven mindset which does not permit British Columbians to make full use of their own province. This arbitrary and regressive policy must change. Article content


Globe and Mail
31 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Stocks Set for Muted Open With Focus on U.S.-China Trade Talks, U.S. Inflation Data Awaited
June S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESM25) are up +0.08%, and June Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQM25) are down -0.01% this morning, pointing to a muted open on Wall Street as investors turn their attention to talks between the U.S. and China in London, and also await the release of key U.S. inflation data later in the week. Top officials from the U.S. and China meet in London today for talks that investors hope will signal progress toward easing trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. The talks come after a call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week, in which the two agreed to resume discussions on tariffs following a temporary truce reached in mid-May. 'The meeting should go very well,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. The U.S. president told reporters on Friday that negotiations with Beijing were 'very far advanced.' In Friday's trading session, Wall Street's major equity averages ended in the green, with the benchmark S&P 500 notching a 3-1/2 month high and the blue-chip Dow posting a 3-month high. The Magnificent Seven stocks advanced, with Alphabet (GOOGL) rising over +3% and (AMZN) gaining more than +2%. Also, chip stocks gained ground, with Marvell Technology (MRVL) climbing nearly +5% and Micron Technology (MU) rising over +2%. In addition, Tesla (TSLA) gained more than +3% after CEO Elon Musk indicated he would ease tensions with President Trump following Thursday's heated spat. On the bearish side, Lululemon Athletica (LULU) tumbled over -19% and was the top percentage loser on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 after the retailer cut its full-year EPS guidance. The U.S. Labor Department's report on Friday showed that nonfarm payrolls rose 139K in May, stronger than expectations of 126K. Also, U.S. May average hourly earnings rose +0.4% m/m and +3.9% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.3% m/m and +3.7% y/y. In addition, the U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2% in May, in line with expectations. Finally, U.S. consumer credit rose $17.87B in April, stronger than expectations of $11.30B. 'While it may not be firing on all cylinders, it's far from showing signs of a major breakdown. [Friday's] solid labor report buys the Fed more time, but Chair Jerome Powell may have a hard time justifying a restrictive rate policy should inflation continue lower,' said Bret Kenwell at eToro. Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said on Friday that there may be a path to cutting rates in the second half of the year, but reiterated that officials should hold steady for now and wait for uncertainty to subside. 'For now, I am strongly of the belief we sit here, let some of this uncertainty resolve itself,' he said. U.S. rate futures have priced in a 99.9% probability of no rate change at next week's monetary policy meeting. The U.S. consumer inflation report for May will be the main highlight this week. The report will be scrutinized for any indications that Trump's tariffs are feeding through into prices. Barclays economists said in a note that they anticipate the inflation data will show 'the first signs of tariff-related price pressures.' They expect upward price pressures on 'a wide range of core goods categories,' such as apparel, household furnishings, new vehicles, and other goods. Also, investors will be keeping an eye on other economic data releases, including the U.S. PPI, the Core PPI, Initial Jobless Claims, Crude Oil Inventories, and the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index (preliminary). Market participants will also focus on earnings reports from several notable companies, with Adobe (ADBE), Oracle (ORCL), Chewy (CHWY), and GameStop (GME) scheduled to release their quarterly results this week. U.S. central bankers are in a media blackout period before the June 17-18 policy meeting, so they are prohibited from making public comments this week. Despite President Trump's push to pressure central bankers into swiftly cutting interest rates, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues have signaled they have time to evaluate the effects of trade policy on the economy, inflation, and employment. Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) kicks off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference today in Cupertino, California. The event is expected to feature the company's new products, services, and partnerships. Today, investors will also focus on U.S. Wholesale Inventories data, which is set to be released in a couple of hours. Economists expect the final April figure to be unchanged m/m, compared to +0.4% m/m in March. In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note is at 4.483%, down -0.69%. The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is down -0.06% this morning as investors cautiously await the outcome of another round of U.S.-China trade talks. Trading was subdued on Monday as markets in several countries, including Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway, were closed for the Whit Monday holiday. Defense stocks lost ground, while real estate stocks outperformed. Meanwhile, European Central Bank Governing Council member Joachim Nagel said over the weekend that he cannot determine whether rate cuts are finished for this year and that the next steps remain completely open. Separately, ECB policymaker Boris Vujcic said on Monday that the central bank should not 'overreact' to Eurozone inflation dipping below its 2% target, as there are good reasons to believe it will rise again. Investor focus this week is also on the Eurozone's industrial production and trade data for April, which will provide insight into how Trump's initial on-off tariff onslaught affected manufacturing and exports at the beginning of the second quarter. In corporate news, Alphawave IP Group Plc ( soared over +23% after Qualcomm agreed to acquire the company for about $2.4 billion. At the same time, WPP Plc ( fell over -1% after the advertising group announced that its chief executive officer, Mark Read, would step down by the end of 2025. The European economic data slate is empty on Monday. Asian stock markets today settled in the green. China's Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed up +0.43%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed up +0.92%. China's Shanghai Composite Index closed higher today as investors looked ahead to the high-level U.S.-China trade talks in London. Rare-earth and technology stocks led the gains on Monday. Sentiment was supported by signs that de-escalation could be back on track following the recent flare-up in tensions between the two superpowers. China approved some applications for rare earth exports ahead of the talks. Boeing has also resumed deliveries of commercial jets to China for the first time since early April, signaling a reopening of trade flows. China Securities analysts said in a note that they think 'there could be some favorable outcomes from the meeting, as Trump has hinted at some positive signs.' Still, the benchmark index's gains were limited as investors digested weak economic data from the country. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics released on Monday showed that China's consumer prices fell for a fourth consecutive month in May, while producer deflation worsened to its deepest level in nearly two years, as the economy grapples with trade tensions and a prolonged housing slump. Separately, data showed that China's exports grew in May, but at a significantly slower rate as U.S. tariffs continue to affect trade despite the temporary trade truce between Beijing and Washington. Many economists anticipate the nation's exports to slump later this year, with the average U.S. tariff on Chinese goods still hovering near 40%, which could further intensify China's disinflationary pressures. In corporate news, Wenyi Trinity Technology jumped +10% after announcing plans to acquire a 51% stake in Anhui Zhonghe Semiconductor Technology for 121.4 million yuan. The Chinese May CPI came in at -0.1% y/y, stronger than expectations of -0.2% y/y. The Chinese May PPI stood at -3.3% y/y, weaker than expectations of -3.1% y/y. The Chinese May Trade Balance arrived at $103.22B, stronger than expectations of $101.10B. The Chinese May Exports came in at +4.8% y/y, weaker than expectations of +5.0% y/y. The Chinese May Imports stood at -3.4% y/y, weaker than expectations of -0.9% y/y. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Index ended higher today, supported by optimism surrounding trade talks between Beijing and the U.S. Chip stocks led the gains on Monday. Yunosuke Ikeda, chief macro strategist at Nomura, said, 'The trade talks in London are, at the very least, a step in the direction of easing restrictions on chip shipments between the U.S. and China.' Government data released on Monday showed that Japan's economy shrank less than previously estimated in the first quarter, as consumption was revised higher. Still, the revision does little to ease concerns among analysts and economists that economic growth is losing momentum. 'Tariffs and tariff threats are damaging exports and industrial production. Household spending is weak as inflation outpaces wage growth, and pay gains may slow further if tariff pain derails the economy,' said Moody's Analytics economist Stefan Angrick. Japan's economy remains at risk of technical recession, which could push back the Bank of Japan's timeline for raising interest rates. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday that Japan must recognize that rising interest rates would increase the government's debt-financing costs and impact its spending plans. Ishiba is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump this week to announce a trade agreement. They will likely meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit that begins on June 15th, or potentially a day earlier in Washington. In other news, Reuters reported on Monday that Japan's government was weighing the repurchase of some super-long bonds it had issued at low interest rates. In corporate news, Otsuka Holdings climbed over +5% after the drugmaker said its experimental treatment for a potentially life-threatening kidney disease reduced high levels of protein in patients' urine by more than half. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed down -3.31% to 22.78. The Japanese GDP Annualized has been reported at -0.2% q/q in the first quarter, stronger than expectations of -0.7% q/q. The Japanese April Current Account n.s.a. stood at 2.258T yen, weaker than expectations of 2.560T yen. The Japanese May Economy Watchers Current Index came in at 44.4, stronger than expectations of 43.8. Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers Tesla (TSLA) fell over -3% in pre-market trading after Baird downgraded the stock to Neutral from Outperform. Air mobility stocks jumped in pre-market trading, extending Friday's gains after President Trump signed an executive order launching an electric 'Vertical Takeoff and Landing' integration pilot program. Joby Aviation (JOBY) and Archer Aviation (ACHR) are up over +9%. Today's U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Monday - June 9th Caseys (CASY), VinFast (VFS), Calavo Growers (CVGW), Graham (GHM), Limoneira (LMNR), Motorcar Parts (MPAA), Lakeland Industries (LAKE), Comtech (CMTL).