B.C. energy minister says treaty not a ‘bargaining chip’ in U.S. trade dispute

British Columbia Energy Minister Adrian Dix says U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims about Canada supplying water through the Columbia River Treaty are “not accurate,” and the U.S. can manage the water that flows over the border “however they see fit.”Dix says there has been speculation about how the treaty could potentially be used as a “bargaining chip” in the trade war with the U.S., but with a 10-year termination provision, he notes that “Canadian action to terminate the treaty would have little effect on the current dispute.”Dix says there have been long-standing cross-border efforts to modernize the treaty, and though it’s not unusual for new American administrations to review international processes, he says the treaty modernization process comes amid “vicious anti-Canadian attacks” by the Trump administration.