Latest U.S. tariff developments don’t change things much for B.C.

The latest twist in the rollercoaster trade war is being welcomed by Ottawa and Premier David Eby.

While Friday was a day with plenty of headlines on the U.S. trade front, the developments mean little for businesses in British Columbia.

The day began with the U.S. Supreme Court quashing global tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump had initiated using emergency powers, citing the fentanyl crisis — the majority of justices ruling he overstepped his authority.

The ruling does not remove tariffs on major B.C. exports such as softwood lumber, wood products, or aluminum.

The decision was welcomed by B.C. Premier David Eby.

“This is an important decision even just to restore some of our confidence in one of our closest friends and allies and trading partners,” said Eby, while playfully suggesting it was the second win for Team Canada on Friday following the men’s hockey team defeating Finland in the Olympic semi-final.

But Trump responded to the court’s decision with further tariff threats, promising to bring in an additional 10 per cent global levy through a section of the U.S. Trade Act, which he said he would implement through an executive order.

While Canadian goods will largely be shielded from that new tariff, the uncertainty of the trade war still looms over B.C., with the B.C. Conservatives claiming the NDP government could be doing more to make the province more self-sustaining.

“When it comes to the challenges we’re having in forestry, (it’s) how do we utilize that at home here, how do we build more with wood,” interim B.C. Conservative Leader Trevor Halford told CTV News. “There’s stuff that we need to be doing at home, and that’s also supporting major projects. That includes a pipeline which David Eby is dead set against. We need to grow the pie, not shrink it.”

Corrugated sheet manufacturing companies like CanCorr in Surrey are among those trying to navigate the situation.

“It has delayed our long, medium-to-long-term decisions when it comes to investment,” said company co-founder Baha Naemi. “That applies to almost all the other industries as well. But it’s particularly in our industry. It is heavily integrated with the U.S. economy.”

The ruling doesn’t help the steel industry, according to the General Manager at AI Industries, a custom steel fabrication company in Surrey.

“What we need is – we need for CUSMA, USMCA, NAFTA, whatever you want to call it – we need that to be resolved, renegotiated and just be once and for all finalized so we can move on with getting back to business as usual,” Karim Walji told CTV News on Friday.