WATCH: Eby praises Carney for rejecting trade deal, says Trump admin 'cannot be trusted'

VANCOUVER — Premier David Eby has praised Prime Minister Mark Carney for suspending trade negotiations with the United States.

Citing a number of requests made by Washington, he argued that the Trump administration "cannot be trusted."

"The Trump tariffs are an economic attack on our province and on our country," Eby said during a press conference on Saturday. "I think the recent developments in this negotiation — I hesitate to even call it that — with the president's team by our hardworking team from the federal government really revealed the true nature of what the Americans are seeking from the White House in terms of their relationship with Canada."

He took particular umbrage with Washington's request that Ottawa limit trade with other nations.

"The suggestion that Canada would not trade with other countries or reduce our trade with other countries because the Americans tell us to would reduce us to the economic equivalent of the 51st state,” Eby warned. "This was never acceptable to Canadians, and the prime minister and his team rightly walked away from any suggestion that we would agree to that."

He went on to question whether, had an agreement been signed, it would have lasted given Trump's tendency to change his mind on a whim.

Carney recently asked the premiers to re-stock American liquor if a deal was reached. In light of negotiations collapsing, Eby said it would be "absurd" to do so now.

"As long as this economic attack continues on our softwood sector, as long as it continues on our economy here in BC, the booze will not be going back on the shelves," he declared.

Eby went on to suggest that Canada is in an "abusive relationship" with the United States.

"The idea that you can simultaneously attack Canadians and also benefit from what’s in Canada — which the rest of the world also wants — is an absurd one," he said.

Canada suspends trade negotiations with US, will match Trump tariffs ‘dollar for dollar’

“Last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal,” Carney said.

Sitka MediaJarryd Jäger

In a statement late Friday night, Carney announced that no deal had been reached, and that Ottawa would respond by matching President Donald Trump's tariffs "dollar for dollar."

"In recent weeks, we made important progress toward improving Canada’s position as having the best deal in the world with the US," he wrote. "However, that progress has not been enough to meet our objectives for Canadians. As a result, this evening, I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the US and have directed Canada’s negotiators to return to Ottawa."

The Americans' 50% tariffs kicked in at midnight.