Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro slammed the barrage of “disrespectful” comments he said U.S. President Donald Trump has lobbed at Canada as he met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford Wednesday and signed a partnership agreement on trade.
“I know that many Canadians, to many of them the United States does not feel very welcoming right now. I get that, given the reckless and disrespectful rhetoric coming from our president,” Shapiro said, standing alongside Ford at a press conference.
“Hear me on this: I respect Canadian sovereignty. On top of the reckless rhetoric, the tariffs that the Trump administration has put in place are a real threat to both of our economies.”
He said trade between Ontario and Pennsylvania has declined by around $500 million since Trump launched his trade war and started threatening to make Canada the 51st state, a comment he has lately taken to repeating.
“That means fewer goods available for Pennsylvanians to buy, and fewer markets for Pennsylvania businesses to sell to. All that chaos at the federal level in the United States is making us all worse off,” Shapiro said.
Responding to a comment made this week by Trump saying he’s not interested in renewing the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) because the U.S. “doesn’t need anything” from Canada, Ford said that’s not true.
“I totally disagree,” Ford said. “We do need each other. Without each other, you know, we have other countries like China coming in, cornering the market on the critical minerals. We need to be there to support each other.”
The meeting with Shapiro comes a day after Ford was in Washington to meet with lawmakers and try to shore up support for trade.
He had been set to meet with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but the event was suddenly cancelled, Ford said due to a “little conflict of scheduling.”
However, a report in the Globe and Mail said the event was cancelled under pressure from the White House, citing sources. CTV News has not independently confirmed that detail.
Asked about the report Wednesday, Ford said he didn’t know if that was the case, but that he’d have another occasion to meet with the chamber.
“If that’s the case, you know, so be it,” Ford said. “I know I have an incredible relationship we’ve built with (U.S. Chamber of Commerce President) Ross Perot Jr. He’s a gentleman, he’s a leader, and we’ll have another time to get together. I’m not worried about that whatsoever.”
Ford also said he didn’t plan to attend a ribbon cutting event for the Gordie Howe bridge from Windsor to Detroit later this week as Trump has indicated he still may not let it open.
“It’s just basically a ribbon cutting,” Ford said. “I’ll be attending once we actually open the bridge and we’re actually driving across.”
