B.C. planning legislation that could toll trucks travelling to Alaska, Eby says

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 3:51 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

British Columbia is hitting backmost astatine economical threats from the United States by introducing tools to enforce fees connected U.S. motortruck postulation travelling done the state connected the mode to Alaska.

Premier David Eby said the tolls whitethorn not beryllium used, but warned that Canada needs to person tools disposable to combat the threat of tariffs coming from President Donald Trump until helium backs down from his plans altogether.

Eby made the announcement connected the tract of the Legislative Assembly gathering successful Victoria, which had been draped with a ample Canadian flag, portion members of his enactment chanted "Canada" successful the background.

Eby said helium was responding to an "unprecedented threat" from the United States, which helium characterized arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump wanting to "erase our border."

"He wants to annex Canada and crook america into the 51st state," Eby said. "That is simply a threat."

WATCH | Eby says Trump has declared 'economic war' connected Canada: 

The premier said helium was unmoved by quality that had travel conscionable moments earlier that 25 per cent tariffs connected immoderate Canadian goods sold into the United States had once again been placed connected pause, this clip until April 2, saying B.C. and Canada should not fto up until the menace was removed altogether.

"It's each a deliberate maneuver to weaken our resolve, and it volition not work," helium said.

"This is unacceptable, and we're going to guarantee that the Americans recognize however pissed disconnected we are, however unified we are, however committed we are to moving arsenic a state to basal up for each other," Eby said. "And I accidental we don't fto up until the president takes the menace disconnected the table."

Eby said that authorities volition beryllium introduced successful the coming days, allowing the state to levy fees onto commercialized trucks moving done the state to and from Alaska.

The premier says helium would besides beryllium introducing legislation giving the state the quality to remove interprovincial commercialized barriers betwixt provinces and territories and mandating that low-carbon fuels added to gasoline and diesel beryllium produced successful Canada. 

He besides reiterated actions the state has already taken, including removing intoxicant from Republican-leaning states from B.C. Liquor Store shelves, de-prioritizing U.S. contractors connected authorities contract bids, and fast-tracking the process done which vigor and assets projects are vetted for support successful bid to amended the province's self-reliance and commercialized relationships with different nations.

Eby says the tariffs imposed by Trump are a profound mistake and are hurting families connected some sides of the border, and his squad is moving hard to guarantee the state comes retired stronger connected the different side. 

 "Trump thinks helium tin bring america to our knees by threatening tariffs. Well, what helium is seeing is that Canadians are lasting gangly [with] one voice."

How would the fees work?

Eby did not stock the details of however the caller authorities volition work.

He besides did not stock accusation connected the practicalities surrounding the program to specifically good commercialized motortruck postulation done the United States, saying it was inactive aboriginal days.

"It volition not beryllium implemented instantly but we volition person it disposable if required," helium said erstwhile pressed connected however the state would spot the authorities moving connected the ground.

In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston has doubled the outgo of tolls astatine the Cobequid Pass for commercialized vehicles from the United States. But that's an country which already has checks and fines successful place.

B.C., by contrast, does not person akin checkpoints, peculiarly on the Alaska Highway, which connects Alaska to Washington State done B.C. and Yukon.

Speaking to CBC News earlier successful the day, Yukon premier Ranj Pillai said he'd heard from galore of his constituents funny successful imposing akin restrictions connected U.S. motortruck postulation but pointed retired it whitethorn beryllium easier said than done, arsenic it would necessitate caller infrastructure, specified arsenic toll booths and caller personnel to unit it.

Eby said details of his program would beryllium revealed successful the "coming days."

What could the interaction be?

The Alaska Highway is, successful fact, a Canadian one. With its root constituent successful Dawson Creek, B.C., it extends more than 2,000 kilometres done Whitehorse, earlier ending conscionable southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.

It was built successful the Second World War by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers aft the bombing of Pearl Harbour arsenic a mode to guarantee the United States had onshore entree to Alaska in bid to service arsenic a defence against Pacific incursions. It was funded by the United States, with Canadian leaders allowing the physique connected the information that it beryllium turned implicit to Canada pursuing the war.

The road remains a fashionable tourer way and the lone mode for goods shipped by motortruck to scope Alaska.

Pillai has besides pointed retired that the U.S. has precocious committed much than $40 million to improving the roadworthy connected the Yukon broadside of the border, and expressed interest that immoderate limitations connected its use imposed by Canada could endanger that investment.

Then there's the question of retaliation: portion U.S. motortruck postulation is presently capable to question done Canada to Alaska duty-free, the aforesaid statement is successful spot for astir Mexican goods coming to Canada the aforesaid way, said Andrea Bjorklund, a McGill University prof and an adept successful planetary commercialized law.

Having duties imposed connected items going to and from Mexico could further harm the Canadian system arsenic Mexico is Canada's third-largest trading partner, including much than $2 cardinal worthy of fruits and vegetables coming into the state each year.

Alaska, meanwhile, is not really arsenic babelike connected trucks from Canada arsenic immoderate mightiness think, with astir of its goods arriving by oversea alternatively than road.

In fact, according to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Transport Statistics, shared by University of Alaska economics prof Mike Jones, trucking lone represents astir 1 per cent of cargo entering the authorities each year, with the bulk coming done the Port of Alaska successful Anchorage, chiefly from U.S. destinations.

That doesn't mean, though, that Alaskans wouldn't beryllium impacted. The authorities does trust connected Canada for immoderate goods, including operation worldly and, potentially, fuel, arsenic section sources tally out. Those surviving successful borderline communities besides usage Yukon arsenic a root of supplies, from groceries to wellness care.

To that end, Republican legislator Cathy Giessel has advanced a associated resolution pushing the president to honour the commercialized narration with some Canada and Mexico, proclaiming that the Alaska Legislature "opposes immoderate restrictive commercialized measures that would harm the unsocial narration betwen Canada and Alaska oregon negatively impact our integrated economies."