BC Liberal leader will move ahead with personal trade war against the US, regardless of Trudeau's feelings

MERRITT (NEWS 1130) – One week before BC voters elect a new government, Liberal Leader Christy Clark is stepping up her personal trade war with the US government.

She’s threatening to take punitive action against the Trump administration with or without support from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Speaking at a lumber mill in Merritt during a campaign stop today, Clark says she’s ready to impose a carbon levy if the federal government doesn’t approve her request. “And now is the right time to do it –the right time to send a strong message to the Trump administration and US lumber barons that we will not back down.”

Clark says that carbon tax against what she calls one of the “dirtiest and most carbon-intensive methods to generate power and heat” will be approximately $70 per tonne. “And with the current price of thermal coal at about $80 US, the levy would make thermal coal ship through British Columbia utterly uncompetitive in the global market. It would apply to all because we don’t intend to just single out American coal. Although the vast majority of the thermal coal that’s shipped through BC is American.”

This is her latest threat in response to US government plans to impose large tariffs against Canadian softwood lumber exports.

Clark says if Prime Minister Trudeau doesn’t act, that carbon tax will be imposed to ensure all exports headed to China are uncompetitive even if they’re coming from this country. “But they’re going to have to pay a duty to do it. They can also ship through the United States, I suppose if that’s what they choose to do, so I would say there’s a lot of good reasons to do it and whether or not it comes from Canada or the US, the levy would apply equally.”

Of course, Clark can only make good on these threats if she’s re-elected on May 9th. Clark went on to say she’s committed to do “whatever it takes” to protect BC workers and communities that depend on the forestry industry.