Eby’s grocery rebate may be shelved due to Trump tariffs

Shifting priorities in the face of U.S. trade tariffs, which might come as early as Monday, might mean the shelving of a key BC NDP promise.

Premier David Eby is stressing his government’s focus will be on making sure British Columbians affected by the proposed tariffs are supported.

He made the comments Thursday when asked what will become of the $1,000 grocery rebate promised during the fall’s provincial election.

“In terms of the rebate, in terms of any government program, our number one priority right now is protecting B.C. families from this threat, ensuring the government is in a position to support people and to make sure that we’re delivering on our commitment to British Columbians to protect them and support them,” he said.

Eby has suggested the tariffs would have a devastating effect on our economy, saying that Trump has made “repeated declarations of economic war on Canada and British Columbia.”

“This is a challenging thing,” he said. “It is a serious threat, and we want to share with you our best information about what this threat means for British Columbians in the context of a larger threat to our country of Canada.”

The pledged rebate was to deliver $1,000 to families and $500 to individuals to help address cost-of-living challenges.

The grocery rebate program was expected to cost the province $1.8 billion.

With files from Charlie Carey.