David Eby, premier of British Columbia, unveiled new signs Tuesday that will be displayed at border crossings in the Pacific Northwest and emphasize that the province will always be part of Canada. Photo: Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters

David Eby, premier of British Columbia, unveiled new signs Tuesday that will be displayed at border crossings in the Pacific Northwest and emphasise that the province will always be part of Canada.

“Welcome to British Columbia, Canada,” says one sign that Eby, 50, read aloud at a press conference in Victoria, B.C. “Strong, proud, and will NEVER be the 51st state. Sorry!”

British Columbia borders Washington, Idaho and Montana to the south, and Alaska to the northwest.

“This is a uniquely Canadian message,” the premier continued. “It’s confident, good humour, and it’s unmistakably clear. British Columbia is part of Canada, and Canada is not for sale.”

Another sign Eby unveiled included “Never 51st State” among several warnings such as “Watch for Moose” and “Kindness ≠ Weakness.”

The new border signs coincide with the first day of Canada’s latest retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. amid an escalating trade war started by the Trump administration.

“People will lose their jobs and businesses will close on both sides of the border,” Eby said about the looming economic challenges, according to CTV News. “We have to look out for one another. We have to buy Canadian whenever we can.”

Last month, the two countries failed to reach an agreement before Trump’s deadline to levy 50 percent tariffs on nearly $28 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, Canada issued targeted dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on imported American goods that took effect early Tuesday.

Trump, 80, and his lackeys have repeatedly hurled childish insults toward their northern neighbour as well, with the president himself threatening to annex the country and even renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”

The president has used social media as the primary avenue for his trolling, much of it directly targeting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

One such example occurred on Sunday, when the president shared an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself standing over a cowering Carney during a hockey game.

On Monday, Trump also targeted Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, warning in a lengthy screed that the company was no longer allowed to sell in the U.S. unless it moved its manufacturing south of the border.

“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” he raged. “If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.’”

Eby told reporters that Trump was “clearly unhinged” for his continued social media mockery of Canada and for starting the trade war that “nobody wanted.”

“Canadians sure didn’t start it, and working families on both sides of the border will be worse off because of it,” he said, according to CTV.