The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, May 8, edition that BC Liberal Christy Clark is seizing on U.S. criticism of her retaliatory trade threats to pressure for a softwood deal as a validation of her tactics. The Globe's Justine Hunter and Ian Bailey write that Ms. Clark said Sunday: "With our ban on moving thermal coal, we have got the Americans' attention. We aren't going to be weaklings." Ms. Clark was responding to a weekend statement from U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Mr. Ross said the Trump administration will not yield to pressure from the Canadian government -- including British Columbia's proposal to ban thermal-coal shipments through the province. He called such tactics "inappropriate." Ms. Clark lobbed the term back: "Everything [the Americans] have done with regard to softwood has been utterly inappropriate. It looks like we finally got their attention [after] four years of trying to negotiate a deal with an administration that just wasn't interested in getting a deal." Ms. Clark asked the federal government to ban thermal-coal shipments after the U.S. slapped punitive tariffs on Canadian softwood. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he would give her ban consideration.