Two days after wishing other countries “good luck” in diplomatically dealing with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that his Canadian counterpart He said the approach was consistent.
“After the discussions we had last night, we believe we have a unified strategy,” Ford said Monday ahead of a meeting with provincial and territorial leaders in Mississauga.
“I want to emphasize that from coast to coast, jurisdictions are different all over the country and everyone has their own interests at heart, but our first priority is to secure our borders and make sure we We agree on the message that we must uphold NATO’s 2% commitment before proceeding with negotiations with the United States.”
Ford was less cooperative Friday when asked about potential tariffs that President Trump has threatened to impose on both Canada and Mexico unless efforts are made to secure the U.S. border. indicated his tone. Despite other premiers at the time, including Alberta’s Daniel Smith and Quebec’s François Legault, publicly opposing the strategy, Ford was able to move energy from Ontario to New York, Michigan and Minnesota. It doubled down on its threat to shut off 1.5 million households in the state. .
“If it’s Alberta or Quebec, that’s their choice. They believe in diplomacy, good luck,” he said at an unrelated news conference. Asked about Ford’s energy threat last week, President Trump said, “Well, that’s fine.” That’s fine. “
Ford also threatened to restrict the LCBO’s purchases of U.S.-produced alcohol, halt exports of critical minerals, and remove the U.S. from the state’s procurement process.
“I don’t want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontario, Ontarians and all Canadians, because Ontario is the largest province,” he said Wednesday.
Ford added that he and all prime ministers hope to visit Washington in February after Trump takes office in January.
