U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said he had a “great meeting” with B.C. Premier David Eby during a visit to Victoria on Tuesday, adding that “David’s a great guy.”
Eby described the meeting as “productive” in a statement.
“The conversation included a frank discussion around what would be required to make progress on the softwood lumber dispute and tariffs,” said Eby in a statement. “We also covered other topics of shared interest including CUSMA negotiations, B.C.’s ban on U.S. liquor and the need to cooperate on transnational crime and money laundering.”
Eby said the two also discussed B.C.’s decision to adopt permanent daylight saving time.
The province announced last week it was doing away with the twice-yearly time changes after years of waiting for western U.S. states to align with the move. Several U.S. states have taken steps toward adopting permanent daylight saving time, but they require federal approval first.
Eby said he asked Hoekstra to relay a message to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress to allow western states to recognize permanent DST.
“I don’t know how we can get all of the states and the provinces all on one page, but it would be nice if it happened,” said Hoekstra.
Hoekstra didn’t comment on trade relations between Canada and the U.S., saying any updates should come from the Prime Minister Mark Carney or Trump.
“While Ambassador Hoekstra and I did not agree on everything, we both expressed our hopes for a positive outcome to trade negotiations between our two countries,” said Eby.
“While Canada’s sovereignty is not up for discussion, I will always look for ways to improve our trade relationships for the benefit of workers and businesses in B.C.,” he said.
Hoekstra was criticized last year for calling Canadians “mean and nasty” to deal with on trade, pointing to policies like the ban on U.S. alcohol in B.C. and other provinces.
Hoekstra avoided commenting on those remarks, but said “American alcohol is an awesome product.”
