Ford says Ontario prepared to stop exporting electricity to U.S. in retaliation to Trump’s tariff threat
Ontario would be prepared to cut off electricity exports to the United States over Donald Trump’s tariff threat, Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday after a meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the provinces and territories.
He said his province is compiling a list of retaliatory measures that could be enacted on the Americans if they follow through.
“We’re going to put our list together, and I’m sure the other provinces will as well.” Mr. Ford said. “But we will go to the full extent, depending how far this goes, we will go to the extent of cutting off their energy, going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin. I don’t want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontario, Ontarians and Canadians as a whole.”
Ontario exported 13.9 million megawatt-hours of electricity to the United States in 2023, about 13 per cent of Canada’s overall power exports to American customers that year, according to Statistics Canada.
Mr. Trudeau met with provincial and territorial leaders for about 90 minutes Wednesday to discuss plans for persuading Mr. Trump to back off threatened steep tariffs. The U.S. president-elect has shown no signs of backing off a Nov. 25 announcement that he plans to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports unless both countries stop illegal migration and smuggling of the opioid fentanyl into U.S. territory.
Canada has promised more border security spending to address Mr. Trump’s concerns, with Mr. Trudeau telling him that Ottawa would buy more helicopters and drones and add more staff. The government is expected to unveil these new investments in the fall economic statement next Monday.
A senior government official said new border investments will likely exceed $1-billion and Canada will shortly present its plan to the incoming Trump administration. Details will not be divulged until a later point in December, the official said. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Mr. Ford said Mr. Trudeau was told “loud and clear” during the meeting that the Prime Minister was wrong to tell a Canadian audience that it was unfortunate American voters picked Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.
The Premier said Mr. Trudeau’s controversial remarks were brought up several times during the call.
“It’s not helpful at all. Donald Trump was elected democratically. If you like him or you don’t like him, that’s not our issue, we elect Canadians, and it was not helpful whatsoever. And I’m sure he, the Prime Minister, got that message loud and clear,” Mr. Ford said.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau lamented the fact that U.S. voters picked Mr. Trump instead of Ms. Harris as president while speaking at a gala for Equal Voice, an organization dedicated to improving gender representation in Canadian politics.
“We were supposed to be on a steady, if difficult, sometimes, march towards progress. And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president,” Mr. Trudeau said. “Everywhere, women’s rights and women’s progress is under attack – overtly and subtly.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of Mr. Trump, ridiculed Mr. Trudeau on X over the comments.
“He’s such an insufferable tool. Won’t be in power for much longer,” Mr. Musk wrote Wednesday.
Mr. Ford said there is no doubt American tariffs are coming and Canada needs to be prepared.
“We need to be ready to fight,” he said.
Asked about Mr. Ford’s proposal to cut off electricity exports from Ontario, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland noted that Mr. Trudeau earlier this week talked about retaliatory measures if Mr. Trump proceeds with tariffs.
After the meeting with the Prime Minister, Quebec Premier François Legault said he wants Canada to conduct criminal background checks on foreigners who need visas to enter this country. And, he said, Ottawa must reinstate a rule requiring these travellers to show a departing ticket from Canada and enough assets to support their visit to Canada.
“Action is needed to prevent those who arrive in Canada with visas obtained under false pretenses from immigrating illegally to the United States,” he said, posting on X.
Mr. Legault also said Canada should undertake a renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement immediately rather than wait until 2026, when the deal is up for renewal.
“We must do everything to avoid entering into a tariff war with our southern neighbours,” Mr.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who also participated in the meeting with the provincial and territorial leaders, said Mr. Trudeau put smuggling of fentanyl from Canada into the United States into perspective for them.
“He stressed that illegal migration from Canada to the United States is only 0.6 per cent of the total, and Canadian fentanyl is 0.2 per cent of the total of US seizures,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “But we also obviously acknowledge that one fentanyl pill is one fentanyl pill too many, and that we committed to continuing to work, obviously, with American authorities, both on the issue of illegal migration and the issue of synthetic drug seizures.”
Mr. LeBlanc said premiers were keen to contribute provincial personnel and provincial assets to this work. “It was a conversation where premiers were as specific as talking about certain vehicles that could contribute, and different provincial personnel that could work with the RCMP or Canadian Border Services,” he said.
“The idea of jointly working together was very encouraging for us. We’re going to incorporate many of the positive suggestions that the premiers made into finalizing our border plan, and then obviously a priority will be to share details of this plan with the incoming Trump administration and with Canadians in the coming days.”
This article was first reported by The Globe and Mail
