It comes less than a day after Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut off the province’s energy supply to the United States if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his threat of punitive tariffs. It appears that we do not agree with the prime minister’s approach to retaliatory measures. .
“Well, first of all, this is a last resort,” Ford told reporters Thursday when asked if Ontario could proceed with its own energy cutoff.
“What we’re sending to the United States is, ‘You’re coming to attack Ontario, you’re attacking the people of Ontario, you’re attacking the lives of Canadians, and we’re going to use every tool in our toolbox. We’re going to protect Ontarians and Canadians across the country.’ That’s the message.” Ford said.
Last month, the incoming US president threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada on his first day in office until Canada addresses border security concerns.
After the prime minister’s meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday to discuss the border and the possibility of retaliation, Ford told the media that Ontario “will do everything in our power depending on how far things go.”
“We’re going to go as far as shutting off their energy from Michigan to New York to Wisconsin,” Ford said Wednesday. “I don’t want this to happen, but Ontario is the largest province, so my job number one is to protect Ontario, Ontarians and all Canadians.”
Ontario exported 12,126 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2023, according to the Independent Electricity System Operator of Ontario (IESO), the Crown corporation responsible for exporting electricity to the United States.
More than half of that (7,718 gigawatt-hours) went to Michigan, 4,149 gigawatt-hours to New York, and another 275 gigawatt-hours to Minnesota. One gigawatt of electricity is enough to power 100 million LED light bulbs.
On Thursday, President Trump was asked by CNBC about Ford’s comments and said, “Well, that’s fine. That’s fine.”
“I have some friends in Canada, and we don’t need to subsidize the country. We subsidize over $100 billion a year. We don’t need to do that,” Trump said. .
United Conservative Party Leader Daniel Smith addresses party members during the party’s annual general meeting on November 2, 2024 in Red Deer, Alta. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Smith and Legault push back against Ford
But other states don’t seem to buy into Ford’s threat to cut off energy.
“From an Alberta perspective, Alberta would never agree to a moratorium on oil and gas exports under any circumstances,” Alberta Premier Daniel Smith told reporters.
Unlike Ford, Mr. Smith does not support retaliatory tariffs.
“Instead, we are taking a diplomatic approach and are meeting with U.S. allies,” Smith said. “We are making the case that Alberta oil and gas is part of the solution for energy affordability and energy security.”
Smith was in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week to promote Alberta at the Western Governors Association Winter Meeting. On Thursday, Smith also announced that the state would invest $29 million to create a team of specially trained sheriffs to: Patrolling the border between Alberta and the United States.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, an announcement was made to resolve a decades-old energy contract between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, with Quebec Premier François Legault joking to the audience: “By the way, I’m not going to threaten Donald into not sending electricity.” “
Asked about Ford’s threat, Legault said the best option would be for Trudeau to respond to President Trump’s border concerns with a plan.
“I think we have to do that,” Legault said. “It’s much better than having a 25% tariff starting January 21st.”
“So I think that’s better than starting a war and stopping sending energy to the United States,” he added.
Quebec Premier François Legault sums up the autumn legislative session at a press conference at the premier’s office in Quebec City, December 6, 2024. Canadian Press/Jacques Boisinot
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey agreed.
“Certainly from the perspective of the Newfoundland and Labrador region, we have no interest in stopping the flow of oil and gas,” Furey said.
last weekend, Legault meets with Trump in Parisboth attended the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral. Legault said President Trump “made it very clear that if we do what we need to do on the border issue, we can avoid tariffs.”
Legault’s customs valuation appears to be different from Ford’s, which said Wednesday that “this fight is 100 percent happening on January 20th or January 21st.”
When asked Wednesday about the nature of Ford’s tariff threat, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland did not respond directly.
“We learned during the NAFTA negotiations that it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves and never answer hypothetical questions,” Freeland said. “I think Canada has also learned that we need to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that Canada would “respond” if the U.S. imposed 25% tariffs. The federal government has also said it will publicly present its border plan within the next few days.
