
Eby responds to Alaskan senator’s threat to have cruise ships bypass B.C. ports
British Columbia Premier David Eby says he is standing firm behind the legislation granting the province the ability to levy new fees on U.S. commercial trucks heading to Alaska, despite political threats involving the cruise ship sector from an Alaskan senator.
Eby says in response to comments made by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan that the Canadian side knows “the consequences for Alaskans are a big deal” if any truck fees are imposed, and he expects Alaska to “respond in kind” if that were to happen.
But the premier says while B.C. would not make the decision to impose truck fees lightly, he is urging Alaska’s elected Republicans to speak to U.S. President Donald Trump about the tariff threats if they are worried about a backlash from the Canadian side.
Eby’s comments come after Sullivan posted on his Facebook page his March 7 appearance on a radio show, where he called Canadian countermeasures to U.S. tariffs “a bit of a dangerous game,” and broached the idea of passing a law or getting an executive order to allow cruise ships to skip B.C. ports on Alaskan cruises.