SURREY, B.C. — The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) is calling the B.C. NDP government’s proposed Bill 7 an “unprecedented attempt to concentrate power in the hands of the premier and must be stopped.”
According to the province, the legislation has been introduced to “strengthen” B.C.’s ability to respond quickly to tariffs imposed by the U.S.
In particular the bill will allow cabinet to: remove or amend barriers that impede interprovincial trade; impose tolls/fees on non-Canadian commercial vehicles using provincial public infrastructure such as highways; direct public-sector bodies to exclude U.S. suppliers when procuring goods and services; and temporarily make changes to cut red tape and regulations “to take fast action to defend the B.C. economy from challenges brought on by continued threats.”
The ICBA states the bill gives Premier David Eby and his cabinet “sweeping, unfettered authority to amend or override nearly any existing law without any oversight or debate in the legislature and without any opportunity for the public to express their views.”
“The most basic principle of our democracy is government accountability – Premier Eby is using the pre-text of needing to respond quickly to U.S. tariffs to consolidate power in his office and short-circuit any real debate, review, or opposition,” stated ICBA president and CEO Chris Gardner in a statement.
He adds the construction and business community wants to stop Donald Trump’s tariff war as much as anyone, but “giving David Eby unfettered, unchecked and sweeping power isn’t the way to do it. Becoming more authoritarian to somehow ‘defend’ democracy is dangerous. Bill 7 must be stopped, and David Eby needs a reminder that he serves the people of British Columbia – not the other way around.”
According to the government, the act provides temporary authority to cabinet and will automatically be repealed by 2027 at the latest. The legislation also includes guardrails, it states. For example, it does not allow government to override permitting processes or First Nations consultation. If passed, most of the legislation would take effect upon royal assent.
Recent media reports are suggesting the government may be considering some amendments.
The ICBA alleges this isn’t the first time the NDP has “not been shy” about using its power.
“Under the pretense of ‘training and hiring more people,’ the NDP are preventing 85 per cent of the men and women in construction from working on major government projects to give a monopoly on the work to friends and insiders in the form of so-called ‘Community Benefit Agreements,’” said Gardner. “The NDP also stripped workers of their fundamental, democratic right to a secret ballot in union certification votes. It appears there isn’t anything democratic left in the New Democratic Party.”
Eby said in a press release, this measure shows the government isn’t backing down against Trump.
“President Donald Trump doesn’t care about the devastating effect his chaotic actions are having on Canadian and American families alike,” he said. “In the face of escalating attacks on our sovereignty that have included threatening to erase the Canada-U.S. border and taking our water, we are not backing down. We are arming ourselves with the tools we need to respond swiftly, break down trade barriers within Canada and strengthen our economy.”
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