VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby has decided not to move forward with a planned advertising campaign targeting Americans regarding U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber from the province. This change comes after Eby previously emphasized the importance of addressing what he described as illogical trade policies influenced by the U.S. administration. Last month, Eby stated, "It is absolutely essential that we talk to Americans about the fact that trade policy in the United States right now is governed not by logic, not by economics, not by relationship, but by one individual in the White House." He expressed a desire to inform the American public about the implications of these tariffs. Despite his earlier commitment to proceed with the ads, Eby announced on Monday that the B.C. government would not run the campaign independently. Instead, he indicated a willingness to collaborate with the federal government when addressing the issue with Americans. "We will not be running the ads by ourselves," Eby told reporters after a summit with federal ministers. "We’ve committed to the federal government that when the time comes to be speaking directly to Americans, we’ll do it in partnership with them." Eby had previously framed the advertising initiative as a demonstration of provincial autonomy, aiming to highlight the perceived absurdity of U.S. trade policies. However, he later suggested that the ads were more about encouraging federal ministers to engage with the province. "One of my commitments to the federal government was if they came to the table with us, if they sat with us, we’d work with them on communications, strategy, on how to work with them and how to move forward," Eby explained. During the press conference, a reporter inquired whether federal Minister for Canada-U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, had requested Eby to refrain from running the anti-softwood tariff ads. Eby interjected, stating, "Minister LeBlanc didn’t have to ask. I knew that it was a source of anxiety for many people, including potentially the federal government, given the reaction to the Ontario tariffs." LeBlanc, maintaining a diplomatic tone, acknowledged Eby’s response and added that they had exchanged messages over the weekend, which included some light-hearted banter about the Blue Jays games. In exchange for his decision to step back from the advertising campaign, Eby announced the formation of a working group involving senior deputy ministers from both the federal and provincial governments. This group will focus on providing support for the softwood lumber sector. "We’ve agreed to a table senior deputy ministers within the federal government and provincial government, and senior representatives from the political level, a task force, a working group, to work — and we’re talking about in a period of weeks, not months — on supports for the sector," Eby stated. The premier also noted that the leading industry group, COFI, reminded him of a previous commitment to increase the annual allowable cut from 30 million cubic meters to 45 million. Other requests from the industry include pausing forestry reviews and policy changes, reducing costs, and matching federal funding. Eby acknowledged the need for the province to take action but cautioned that even where the annual cut has been allocated, it may not be sufficient to meet industry demands.