Northern B.C. politicians react to Trump’s inauguration

“This is something that no one should be taking lightly. And it’s a time when we need to come together as Canadians and protect our economy and protect our sovereignty,” he continued.

While tariffs remains top of mind for most, as the impacts it could have on Canada’s economy could be huge, Bachrach also raised concerns on several executive orders Trump signed, among them a proclamation that there are only two genders recognized by the USA Government.

“If you look more broadly at what Trump is talking about, if you look at his executive orders, this kind of shock and awe approach, that is threatening a lot of people. It’s undermining human rights, it’s undermining workers rights, he seems really intent on making some dramatic changes that are going to be incredibly harmful,” Bachrach said.

Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre also shared his thoughts on Trump in a statement, saying Canada has “never been so weak” and “is out of control.” Amid the talks of tariffs, Poilievre also highlighted border control as a potential issue to highlight.

“Our American counterparts say they want to stop the illegal flow of drugs and other criminal activity at our border. The Liberal government admits their weak border is a problem. That is why they announced a multibillion-dollar border plan—a plan they cannot fund because they shut down Parliament, preventing MPs and Senators from authorizing the funds,” he said.

“Liberals have shut Parliament in the middle of this crisis. Canada has never been so weak, and things have never been so out of control. Liberals are putting themselves and their leadership politics ahead of the country,” his statement continued.

Poilievre’s concern over parliament being shut down amid the Liberal leadership race is shared by Bachrach, who also worries that having parliament closed during this pivotal moment following Trump’s inauguration is harmful for Canada’s outlook.

“We didn’t support prorogation. And it is concerning that at a time when Canada is under such grave threat from the United States that we don’t have our parliamentary system fully functioning,” Bachrach said.

“Open Parliament. Take back control. Put Canada First,” Poilievre’s statement said.

While Bachrach agrees on the concern of parliament being closed, he does not agree with Poilievre’s approach on how to handle Trump. He believes the Conservatives are playing into Trump’s hand through Poilievre’s messaging of talking Canada down, such as in his statement where he says Canada has “never been so weak.”

“It sends him (Trump) a message that we’re a country that can be walked all over. This is a time when we should be unified, when we should be coming together across party lines, showing that solidarity, and presenting a unified front to the Americans that say, ‘no, you’re not going to walk all over us,'” Bachrach said.

B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad also weighed in, sharing a similar opinion as Poilievre on the importance of improved border control.

“We need to be doing everything we can to try to work with the Americans, to try to make sure we protect our borders, stop the flow of fentanyl into this province, deal with our port issues,” Rustad said in a video posted to his X account.

“Let’s make sure that we protect our borders, make sure that we stop this flow of fentanyl that’s killing people in this province, and actually get down to work with having a relationship with our largest trading partner, with our greatest ally,” Rustad continued.

While there are many opinions on how best to handle the USA under Trump’s new government, one thing is clear: relations with the United States will look a lot different.

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by Tommy Osborne

Northern B.C. politicians react to Trump’s inauguration

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