Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is warning the government of British Columbia against imposing new fees on U.S. commercial trucks northbound to Alaska.
“I don’t know the premiers of the different provinces, but it is a bit of a dangerous game,” Sullivan said before launching into his hopes to repeal – either through the Senate or by executive order from President Donald Trump – the Passenger Vessel Services Act.
The legislation dictates that foreign-built ships be banned from carrying passengers between two U.S. ports without a stop in a foreign country. The law is meant to protect shipping interests in the U.S. just as the Jones Act applies to cargo ships.
A number of cruise ships heading for Alaska stop in British Columbia, mainly in Vancouver, but also in Nanaimo, Victoria and Prince Rupert.
“Canada, you don’t want to mess with Alaska,” Sullivan said on the Mike Porcaro Radio Show in Anchorage on March 7. “And if you do, we are going to work hard on having our cruise ships bypass your ports, and that will help our economy tremendously. It will help our tourism tremendously. It will hurt their tourism industry tremendously … They’re playing a dangerous game here, and I hope they back down.”
B.C. Premier David Eby told the Canadian Broadcasting System (CBC) that he had no current plan for tolls, but wants the ability to do so should the Trump administration escalate actions against Canada, the CBC said in an article published on March 14.
“This is not something that we would do lightly,” he told reporters. “We know the consequences for Alaskans are a big deal. We would expect them to respond in kind. Trade wars only hurt people.”
Eby said he hopes Alaskans will tell the Trump administration how intertwined the connections are between Alaska and Canada.
In Juneau on March 14, Rep. Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, tabled a House Joint Resolution recognizing and honoring the relationship between Canada and Alaska, which he described as “an unqualified affirmation of the strong bonds of friendship, shared history.”
“The friendship, trust and affection that we hold for our Canadian neighbors extends to their identity as citizens of the sovereign nation of Canada,” Kopp said. “We can’t imagine Alaska without Canada.”
A similar resolution sponsored by Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, is currently moving through the Alaska Senate.
