When Washington Lt. Gov. Denny Heck arrived in British Columbia last week, he wondered how he’d be received.
After all, the past few months have seen the usually strong relationship between Canada and the United States upended. Since January, President Donald Trump has played tariff politics with the allies north of the border and repeatedly expressed interest in annexing Canada as the “51st state.”
Heck and the Washington delegation brought a simple message: “We love Canada.”
Canadian legislators from both parties welcomed the envoy in Victoria and emphasized that they remain in step with Washington state.
“We’ve always had this strong relationship between Washington and B.C. and that continues despite the challenges that we’re facing from the White House,” said Rick Glumac, the province’s trade minister. “This is one man that’s causing a lot of turmoil, not just in Canada but across the world in terms of how these tariffs are being handled.”
To Heck, the reception was “incredibly gratifying.”
“Looked at another way, maybe this is just an opportunity to double down on our friendship,” Heck said in an interview.
Heck traveled with Democratic state Sens. Lisa Wellman, of Mercer Island, and Sharon Shewmake, of Bellingham, along with a couple of his advisers.
Their visit to the B.C. Legislature last Tuesday came the same day Trump met with the new Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, in the Oval Office. In the meeting, Carney made clear to Trump the United States would never annex Canada.
With their Canadian counterparts, Washington officials discussed the now-paused negotiations on updating the Columbia River Treaty governing the transboundary waterway and housing issues. Heck, a lead adviser on housing during Gov. Bob Ferguson’s transition into office, said he was particularly interested in B.C.’s regulations to tax outside speculators who snatch up homes and leave them vacant and limit short-term rentals.
The two sides also came to an informal agreement on how to organize an interparliamentary exchange to make such meetings an annual occurrence. Washington lawmakers last year approved opening such a dialogue between the two Legislatures.
Heck expects to soon formalize that agreement. The goal is to “learn from one another, but the truth is, it has this kind of overarching purpose, I hope, to maintain good, strong communications, so that the deep, deep friendship we have can continue.”
Shewmake cited next year’s FIFA World Cup, the development of a new regional hub focused on hydrogen power and the fentanyl epidemic as topics she hopes to collaborate on. She also mentioned recycling policy as Washington embarks on a new program that puts more of the onus on packaging producers to ensure their products are recyclable — a goal for which Canada is ahead of the curve.
In the meantime, Blaine, in Shewmake’s borderland district, is dealing with declining sales tax revenue with fewer Canadians crossing the border, the senator said.
Glumac pointed to the potential for a high-speed rail corridor connecting Portland and Vancouver, B.C., an idea that has yet to gain serious momentum.
And issues like wildfire know no borders.
Another piece Washington lawmakers could learn from is the unique question-and-answer period the B.C. Legislature reserves for members of the minority party to grill the ruling party, separate from floor debate on a specific policy.
“It’s a part of the opposition holding the government accountable and transparent, but it did not seem to be personal at all when all was said and done,” Heck said. He described it as a “different way to practice democracy.”
Heck, chair of the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations, led a trade mission to Canada last June, with stops in Vancouver and Ottawa.
The trip helped deliver an agreement between British Columbia and Washington for local wine grape growers to ship massive amounts of their grapes north of the border after a freeze devastated the Canadian harvest.
Members of the B.C. Legislature visited Washington for meetings in January.
Washington is a vital trade partner for B.C., with nearly one-third of the province’s exports to the United States going to the Evergreen State, according to the Business Council of British Columbia.
In 2023, Washington imported over $7 billion worth of goods from the province.
It exported over $5 billion to B.C.
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