Standing in front of 136,000 kilograms of sablefish being unloaded at the Finest at Sea market in Victoria, B.C. Premier David Eby announced an upcoming trade mission to Asia.
Eby said he and Agriculture Minister Lana Popham will be travelling to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.
“Food from B.C. commands a premium in Asia,” Eby said, as the province works to find new trading partners aside from the United States.
He added that countries around the world are interested in what B.C. can provide: clean energy, technology, food, agriculture, and critical metals and minerals.
“Our province will be the engine of the new Canada,” Eby said.
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He added B.C. will partner with other provinces and territories to increase and diversify trade.
A few weeks ago, Eby congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney on his election win and urged him to “commit to a new era of federal-provincial-territorial cooperation.”
The missive comes following a campaign in which Carney positioned himself as best prepared to bolster Canada’s economy and sovereignty under the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff and annexation threats.
In the letter, Eby emphasized the need to break down interprovincial trade barriers to offset the U.S. tariff threat, along with the need for a national response to Trump’s attacks on the forestry industry.
The letter called for a “Team Canada” approach to U.S. softwood lumber duties, which it said represent a serious threat to B.C.’s economy and workers. Such an approach must support affected workers while seeking to incorporate a new softwood lumber agreement in any trade deals reached with the U.S., it added.
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