'Don't mess with Alaska,' U.S. senator warns, even as state Republicans affirm friendship with Canada

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 10:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

On the aforesaid time that state-level Republicans successful Alaska worked to affirm their adjacent narration with Canada amid U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized warfare and threats of annexation, an Alaskan senator warned British Columbia's premier that "you don't privation to messiness with Alaska."

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan made the remarks successful an interview with an Anchorage vigor station posted to his Facebook page.

During the conversation, which touched connected topics ranging from vigor improvement to Ukraine, Sullivan was asked astir B.C. introducing legislation that grants the state the quality to levy caller fees connected U.S. commercialized trucks heading to Alaska.

"I don't cognize the premiers of the antithetic provinces but it is simply a spot of a unsafe game," Sullivan said earlier launching into his tendency to repeal, either done the legislature or by enforcement order, the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

Under the act, foreign-built ships are not allowed to transportation passengers betwixt 2 U.S. ports without a stopover successful a overseas country. 

Many Alaska-bound cruise ships halt successful B.C. — primarily Vancouver but besides Victoria and Prince Rupert — bringing successful important tourism gross to the province's economy.

Sullivan says helium would similar to spot that regularisation repealed, noting it was done erstwhile COVID-19 restrictions were successful place.

"Canada, you don't privation to messiness with Alaska. And if you do, we are going to enactment hard connected having our cruise ships bypass your ports, and that volition assistance our system tremendously," Sullivan said. "They're playing a unsafe crippled here, and I anticipation they backmost down."

'We can't ideate Alaska without Canada'

B.C. Premier David Eby said helium had nary existent plans to enact tolls but helium wants the quality to bash truthful should Trump escalate his actions against Canada.

"This is not thing that we would bash lightly," helium told reporters Friday. "We cognize the consequences for Alaskans are a large deal. We would expect them to respond successful kind. Trade wars lone wounded people."

He hopes Alaskans disquieted astir the fallout of a commercialized warfare volition talk up.

"We request Alaskans to nonstop a connection to Donald Trump astir however intertwined we are, astir the connections betwixt our economies," helium said.

That connection was heard successful Alaska's authorities capitol gathering connected Friday day erstwhile Republican Rep. Chuck Kopp tabled a House Joint Resolution, Recognizing and honoring the narration betwixt Canada and Alaska, which helium described arsenic "an unqualified affirmation of the beardown bonds of friendship, shared history, communal defence and enactment that person bound our authorities to Canada implicit centuries."

An astir identical Senate Joint Resolution is besides moving done Alaska's senate, sponsored by Republican Cathy Giessel, who has besides spoken retired against the commercialized war.

"The friendship, spot and affection that we clasp for our Canadian neighbours extends to their individuality arsenic citizens of the sovereign federation of Canada," Kopp said astatine Friday's meeting, gesturing to a representation of the 2 countries. "We can't ideate Alaska without Canada."

Kopp and several different speakers highlighted the joint effort to physique the Alaska Highway from bluish B.C. to Alaska during the Second World War, as good as the fig of families and friendships that span both sides of the border.

Also invited to talk was Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, the president of the Arctic Winter Games and several members of the borderline assemblage of Skagway, Alaska. 

Skagway Vice-Mayor Deb Potter called connected politicians to "think of Alaskans implicit your party," and encouraged them to affirm the resolution, which is inactive moving done the house.

Kopp said helium hoped the messages coming from Alaskans would beryllium heard by the powers that beryllium elsewhere successful the United States.

"The somesthesia is rising betwixt the countries based connected economical reasons," helium said. "This solution recognizes that relationships substance and are acold much important than possibly the almighty dollar astatine times."