Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that he wants to see higher retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. if a trade deal is not worked out within days.
“I had an opportunity to speak to the Prime Minister yesterday, and I know he’s in deep, deep discussions right now with the administration in the U.S. and President Trump, but I was very clear with my message,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park Thursday as the latest legislative session wrapped up.
“The ideal situation is to get a deal, and if that deal does not happen in the next few days, then we have to slap another 25 per cent tariff on top of the existing 25 per cent tariff on our aluminum and steel.”
Trump’s doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum went into effect on Wednesday.
He added that he thinks Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic Leblanc are “doing an incredible job” negotiating with Trump, and that they’re “working hard around the clock” to get a deal.
“But if they don’t, we have to come out guns a blazing and make sure that the American people understand it’s not against them,” Ford said.
Ford goes on media offensive
Ford did a fresh round of U.S. media appearances Thursday in the wake of the latest tariffs.
“It’s a terrible idea what he (Trump) is doing and it will hurt the American people,” he told CNCBC Thursday morning.
He said tariffs on Canadian goods are hurting U.S. businesses more than anyone else, amounting to a “$15 billion tax on the backs of Americans.”
Ford also weighed in on U.S. President Donald Trump’s engagement with China, saying he’s treating China better than America’s closest allies.
“I think it’s a little misguided. We’re the number one customer. China’s not your number one customer. We buy more products than any other country in the world,” Ford said.
He said the tariffs will draw business away from U.S. companies.
“We buy $30 billion of steel and aluminum off the U.S., and now we’re just going to start on-shoring everything, everything from rebar to steel beams to aluminum cans that beverage and beer companies put but (their products) into. They’re all coming back, and they’re billion dollar industries.”
He also made appearances on Fox News and Meet the Press.
Infrastructure projects key part of plan to shore up economy
Speaking with reporters, Ford reiterated the province is focusing on several large infrastructure projects to help bolster Ontario’s economy in the wake of the trade war.
He said all of the provinces recently gave Carney their list of top five infrastructure projects at a first ministers meeting in Saskatchewan.
“Our key one is building the road to the Ring of Fire. And second is small modular reactors and large scale nuclear as well. So those are our two key items. They’re going to drive the economy more than anything right now,” Ford said.
He confirmed that his proposed traffic and transit tunnel under Highway 401 was also on the list.
The province passed legislation this week giving itself the power to create special economic zones where regular environmental and other regulations can be bypassed in order to speed up project approval. The Ford government has said the Ring of Fire is a key part of its plan to shore up the province’s economy.
Ford said Thursday that they will be looking to declare the Ring of Fire a special economic zone as soon as possible now that the legislation has passed.
Asked about opposition to the plan by First Nations groups, Ford said some of them are excited about the economic benefits while others “will never agree.”
He said he will also be supporting Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her push to build pipelines in order to bring that province’s energy to market.
The premiers will be hosted by Ford at a meeting in Muskoka in July, his office said Thursday.
The provincial legislature is now set to break for the summer, returning only on Oct. 20 to give the government time to enact its agenda.
