British Columbia introduces laws to vehicles that are gradually traveling to Alaska

On Thursday, the government of British Columbia submitted the legislation that would enable the province to raise vehicles between the lower 48 and Alaska.

The draft law, which is officially known as the law on economic stabilization (Response tariff), was expected since BC Premier David Eb had announced his intentions last week.

The deputy prime minister Niki Sharma presented the legislative template at the legislative assembly in British Columbia in Victoria and said that the draft law was “a number of authorities to quickly react to the recent unprecedented threats to our province from the USA.”

The invoice does not automatically charge fees for vehicles that travel from Alaska and Alaska, but “BC only gives the tools to do this if Trump continues to escalate its threats to BC and Canada,” said the Provincial Ministry for Transport and Transit.

“This is not something that British -Colombia wants to do, but we have to have this tool if the United States does not return from its unjust tariffs,” said the Ministry.

President Donald Trump not only threatened the tariffs for trading with Canada, but also threatened military measures against the country and explained that the United States should be annexed to avoid economic consequences.

Sharma spoke with the legislative assembly that if it would be enacted, the government would enable the government to impose a system of fees, fees, fees or other fees for vehicles with certain BC infrastructures such as motorways and coastal ferries. The government will offer a broad, flexible authorization to counter the challenges for BC that result from the measures of foreign jurisdiction to support the joint cooperation with inter-provination. “

According to the text of the invoice, the amount of the toll and its application would be decided by government officials.

The legislation would expire on May 28, 2027, said Sharma.

“We didn't ask for this trade war, but we will fight for BC's economy, we will fight for BCS workers and fight for this province with every tool we have. We will follow a “Team Canada” approach in our answer, and I hope that every member of this house will support this bill, ”she said.

The draft law is expected to proceed in the legislative procedure earlier than on March 31 after the legislative assembly had returned from a one -week spring celebration.

In Alaska, the Republican US Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska threatened economic measures against British Columbia.

In a talk radio interview on Tuesday, Sullivan said that he would try to do without a federal law, after which foreign cruise ships had to stop between Washington State and Alaska in Canada.

[Amid escalating tariff threats, Sullivan says he will move to suspend law requiring cruise ships to stop in Canada on their way to Alaska]

All of them have been registered abroad except for a handful of megaships that carry tourists in summer in summer, and the United States did not use the law once in 2021, in the middle of the Pandemian emergency from Covid-19.

“You know, Canada, you don't want to put on with Alaska,” said Sullivan in the radio interview. “If you do this, we will work hard to avoid your ports, and that helps our economy enormously, it will help our tourism industry enormously and it will really hurt your tourism.”

The British Columbia Transport Ministry said that the cruise ship industry is busy “thousands of people and supports hundreds of BC companies that benefit from the arrival of ships”.

“We know that people want to experience British Columbia cities as part of their cruise experience,” said the Ministry.

Originally published by the Alaska BeaconAn independent, non -partisan news organization that covers the government of Alaska.