Ontario politicians, business leaders and union leaders are heading to Washington, D.C., to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration as part of the province’s pushback against the incoming administration’s looming trade war.
Premier Doug Ford played a highly visible role in urging President Trump to reconsider his approach and forcing the federal government to respond. The state’s large presence is expected to complement that.
As President Trump threatens to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods on his first day in office, big names from the auto industry, mining companies, energy industries, big banks and Ontario politics will gather at the Canadian embassy to celebrate.
David Patterson, the Ontario government’s representative in Washington, said it’s unclear how the tariffs will be implemented, whether across the board or more targeted, but they are certain to cause economic pain. Ta.
Ford said Ontario could lose up to 500,000 jobs if the tariffs go into effect.
But Patterson has been friends with Republicans since taking the post a year ago. He focused on incumbent lawmakers on both sides before the election, believing many would win their seats again. He believes the hard work behind the scenes will pay off.
“I’m sleeping well at night. I’m confident we’ll get through this,” Patterson said.
“Relationships will be key to achieving this, and I’m very pleased to have already had a year to focus on building relationships with key Republicans.”
Number of US politicians supporting Canada: Ontario representative
Patterson, a former Liberal Party member and longtime General Motors car executive who participated in the final round of free trade negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico, said there are many senators, governors and congressmen in Canada’s corner. Ta.
Prime Minister Doug Ford wore the hat while speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss Canada’s response to the threat of U.S. tariffs. The building was designed by an Ottawa-based company in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that Canada would become the 51st state.
“I wouldn’t trade positions with any country on the planet in terms of our ability to get through this problem, just because it’s in the interest of the American economy, American companies, and the American government.” he said. Said.
Patterson will be joined by a number of industry leaders, bankers and Ontario politicians at the Canadian embassy.
“The days of being nice are over,” said Lana Payne, president of Unifor, the nation’s largest private sector union. About one-third of Ontario’s 300,000 employees work in industries likely to be affected by the tariffs, including Ontario’s large auto, mining, energy and forestry industries.
“As a nation we will have to come together and strongly resist,” she said.
“Honestly, all of our premiers need to get on the same page and get this job done for Canadian workers.”
Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith declined to support the federal government’s plan if it included energy export tariffs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the other countries’ prime ministers agreed to continue to consider any retaliatory measures.
Payne said the large gathering at the embassy will allow leaders to absorb President Trump’s executive orders as they are signed. They believe more than 100 orders may have been signed that day, including tariffs on Canadian goods.
She believes bringing so many people together will energize and unify Ontario’s diverse interests.
“This is going to be a very difficult year, so this will prepare people for the battles ahead,” Payne said.
Minister of Economic Development heads to DC
Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli will also be in attendance, as will many of Ontario’s largest business groups in the communications, transportation, financial services and critical minerals sectors, he said.
He said it would be a great opportunity for everyone to not only meet each other, but also the United States Commonwealth Representative who will be coming through the Embassy during the day.
“We want to make sure we’re talking to the right people. [discussing] Who is communicating with whom?” Fedeli said.
“I want to make sure that we’re talking to the people on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. Who is the right person to listen to President-elect Trump?”
Mr. Fedeli has already visited several U.S. states in the past few weeks, and he said not a single organization came out in favor of the tariffs in 60 meetings.
He added that the Consumer Technology Association handed out anti-tariff stickers at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Ontario is also pushing its own anti-tariff message through multimillion-dollar ad buys in the United States. The Prime Minister recently said the number of unique views was 450 million, but suggested the target audience for the ad was one person.
“Especially in Florida, right next to Mar-a-Lago, you can’t turn on the TV (without seeing an ad),” Ford said. “We ramped it up and applied it to Fox because we thought he was watching Fox.”
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threat is a “wake-up call,” says David Patterson, an Ontario lawmaker from Washington, D.C. “Part of our job is to make sure the American people know we have the right answers. to inform the
Prime Minister Trudeau and Premier Ford said earlier this week that Ontario’s auto sector is one of President Trump’s targets.
“The next president of the United States is specifically and clearly targeting one industry, one sector of the economy in Canada, and that’s not the oil industry in Alberta,” Trudeau said after meeting with premiers to discuss Canada’s plans for retaliation. ” he said.
“It’s the Ontario auto sector. It’s an auto agreement that has been incredibly successful for 50 years in auto production on both sides of the border, benefiting both Canadians and Americans. That’s the goal.”
Ontario automakers also attend embassy gathering
Ontario automakers, including GM, Ford and Stellantis, representing the Detroit Three, will be at the embassy on Inauguration Day. As part of the renegotiated free trade agreement between the two countries and Mexico, recently renewed and launched by President Trump himself in his first term, materials, parts and vehicles have crossed the border multiple times.
Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Automobile Manufacturers Association, which represents Ford, GM and Stellantis, said: “A key element of the negotiations was to increase the amount of North American-made parts and components in our vehicles. ” he said.
U.S. tariffs would lead to significant increases in car prices south of the border and in Canada, he said.
“The reality is there is no such thing as a car made in the United States, there is no such thing as a car made in Canada. They are cars made in North America,” Kingston said.
“This is a good agreement and it’s working as intended, so the rational outcome here is that vehicles that meet the very stringent requirements under that trade agreement are manufactured in Mexico, Canada, the United States, It should continue to be used regardless of whether it is exported duty-free. ”
The Washington congregation will be very helpful to both Ontario and Canada, Kingston said.
“There’s no better way to understand what President Trump is trying to do than to be at the epicenter of all of this. But secondly, we need to connect with all the leaders in Ontario and across Canada to get on the same page. This is a great opportunity to move on to this fight page. ”
Energy is another focus of Ontario’s pre-tariff message, with Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce also scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day. He said the state’s presence in the state and the meetings officials hope to hold there, along with a message of energy cooperation, are aimed at maximizing pressure on U.S. policymakers. Ta.
“Americans will have to make very tough choices about whether to buy goods, resources and technology from a dictatorship, if not Canadian resources,” he said.
“So this is essentially a national security and economic security issue.”
