The last time an NDP government devoted a throne speech almost entirely to the idea of rallying together in a crisis, it worked well.

The first agenda-setting speech in 2020 after the pandemic hit B.C. was a call for “shoulders to the wheel” unity above all else. The Opposition responded in kind. There was minimal legislature argument over the key COVID decisions for the next year or so, until it gradually frayed.

On Tuesday, Premier David Eby tried to pull everyone together again, upping the stakes even more. The unpredictable tariff threat from the U.S. makes for “the most consequential time for B.C. since the Second World War,” the speech said. The historic bond between Canada and the U.S. has been “strained like never before and will not be easily repaired.”

So the provincial response will begin with three components:

• Trim the civil service to free up some funding for emergency relief measures as needed.

• Manufacture explosive growth in the economy by finding new markets and trading partners on an emergency basis.

• Counterattack the U.S. as necessary with strategic provincial moves, even while recognizing a........

© Times Colonist