Alaska Highway tolls, banning Trump Jr.: Yukoners advise premier on U.S. trade war response

Yukon's premier says he's been getting an "incredible" amount of advice and suggestions from Yukoners about how to retaliate against the U.S. for its punishing new tariffs — with suggestions ranging from putting on a toll on the Alaska Highway to banning American athletes from the Arctic Winter Games.

Another suggestion Premier Ranj Pillai said he's been hearing is to bar Donald Trump Jr. from coming to the territory. The U.S. president's son has been known to do hunting trips in the Yukon. 

"Lots of Yukoners have reached out to me on this," Pillai said, about Trump Jr. "The legalities of that I think, first and foremost, have to be understood.

"Are we banning one person? What are the legalities of that? You know, is that the right thing to do? How do you do that? And then who gets banned from the United States?"

Pillai was speaking on Wednesday, a day after he announced some initial measures the territory was taking in response to the trade war launched this week by the U.S. president.

The territory is updating its government procurement policies so that it buys more local goods and fewer U.S. goods, and establishing an assistance fund for local businesses. It will also no longer buy or sell American liquor products.

Pillai said more measures will likely follow, but it's too soon to say what those will be. 

"People are so incredibly passionate about this, or concerned, or angry," he said.

"It's incredible the amount of advice that we're getting from Yukoners, on all of these things. And we're just moving through it to see, you know, what's the most prudent thing to do at this time, and what the next step would look like."

Elon Musk's businesses, the Arctic Winter Games

The premier said another idea he's heard from a lot of Yukoners is to put a toll on the Alaska Highway for U.S. vehicles travelling through the territory. The highway connects Alaska to the lower 48 states, through the Yukon and B.C.

Pillai said something like that is easier said than done, as it would require new infrastructure — for example, toll booths — new staff, and likely new legislation.

"We've got to look at what our actions are and what legal tools we have to make those decisions," Pillai said.

He also said people have been urging the government to punish businesses owned by tech billionaire and Trump appointee Elon Musk. Pillai said government officials are now reviewing whether to halt the territory's use of Musk's Starlink, or the social media platform X. 

As for banning Alaskan athletes from the next Arctic Winter Games — happening a year from now, in Whitehorse — the premier was cool to that idea. 

"That's not something that we've contemplated," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, NDP Leader Kate White floated the idea during an interview on CBC's Yukon Morning. She compared it to a decision made in 2022, about Russian athletes.

Weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, in February 2022, the Arctic Winter Games International Committee announced it had "suspended Yamal, Russia, with immediate effect, following the attacks unfolding in Ukraine."

"So if we're not allowing Russian athletes because of Putin's actions, are we going to have the conversation about Alaskan athletes?" White asked.

"It's hard because we're talking about, I mean, the decision was made about Russian kids, right? So are we going to have to make the same decision about American kids?"

Pillai argued that the games are an important event for positivity, and "building bridges" with friends in Alaska. 

"Look, at the end of the day, we need Americans to put ultimate pressure on the Trump administration," Pillai said.

"So I think having the Games here, seeing a bunch of great Alaskan athletes coming here, strengthening our ties with Alaska — it's incredibly important."