Ford wants tighter trade ties between U.S. and Canada as premiers arrive in Washington for anti-tariff push
Ontario Premier Doug Ford advocated for a closer trade relationship between Canada and the United States as premiers from across the country arrived in Washington to meet with lawmakers and business groups in a bid to prevent punishing tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mr. Ford, who is also campaigning for re-election as Progressive Conservative Leader, arrived in the U.S. capital Tuesday to meet with officials the day after Mr. Trump announced that 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, would begin March 12.
Meetings were planned all day Wednesday for the premiers visiting Washington, as well as a joint luncheon with the Canadian American Business Council. Mr. Ford is chair of the Council of the Federation, representing Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders.
The premiers, along with federal ministers, have spent months advocating against tariffs since Mr. Trump first threatened 25-per-cent levies on all Canadian and Mexican goods, which were eventually put on pause until at least March. Mr. Ford’s government spent tens of millions on U.S. advertising, and others, such as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, travelled to Mar-a-Lago to press Mr. Trump personally, in a pre-emptive bid to avoid economic damage.
The Trump administration announced this week that it would reinstate the steel and aluminum levies put in place during Mr. Trump’s first term, with a higher tariff on aluminum this time around. This could have a major impact on both industries, which rely on the U.S. as their primary market. Around half of the steel produced in Canada is currently sent south across the border, along with more than 90 per cent of the aluminum, with combined exports worth around $35-billion last year.
Mr. Ford appeared at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday to promote his idea of a “Fortress Am-Can,” which he bills as a renewed alliance between the U.S. and Canada, including an integrated energy and electricity grid. The audience of about 100 people included a sizable delegation of Canadian businesspeople and officials.
The Ontario Premier told the audience that the two countries need to be “very clear-eyed” about the risk of a North American trade war.
“It is totally unnecessary,” he said.
“As the whole world is watching two closest friends about to wage an economic war against each other … I’ll tell you who’s sitting back and laughing, is China.”
He said he would be discussing retaliation against Mr. Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs with his provincial and federal counterparts. When asked whether Ontario was considering cancelling its $100-million contract with Elon Musk’s company Starlink – which he already threatened to rip up – he said that “everything’s on the table right now.”
Mr. Ford’s detour to D.C. during the provincial campaign, with an election date set for Feb. 27, has raised the ire of opposition parties in Ontario, who say the PC Leader is abandoning the province at a critical time and unfairly using his trip to campaign. Mr. Ford told reporters he travelled to Washington in his capacity as Ontario Premier. He said the PC Party is paying his expenses, as well as those of his political staff, which include a private chartered flight.
The Prime Minister said Tuesday that Canada will retaliate if the U.S. proceeds with what he called “entirely unjustified” tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Mr. Trudeau, speaking to reporters during a visit to Paris, said it makes no sense to hike costs for Canadian steel and aluminum because they are key ingredients in vital American industries.
Neil Herrington, senior vice-president for the Americas department at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that many U.S. businesses are concerned about Mr. Trump’s tariffs against Canada, particularly around aluminum.
Eric Miller, president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a Washington-based consultancy, said that Canadian premiers are right to come to Washington to make their case, but he’s doubtful it will do much to change Mr. Trump’s mind.
“This is a case where, unfortunately, President Trump has to touch the hot stove before he realizes how valuable and integrated this relationship is and begins to take a different course,” Mr. Miller said.
Mr. Ford also suggested speeding up the renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), echoing comments from Quebec Premier François Legault. The treaty, which replaced NAFTA in 2020, is up for review next year, but Mr. Trump has ordered his team to start reviewing it right away.
“I think it’s important, let’s get a deal,” Mr. Ford told reporters after his chamber event. “The only thing certain right now in both economies is uncertainty, and nothing scares companies more than uncertainty, and nothing scares people more.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who is also in Washington this week, said he supports an early renegotiation of CUSMA. But first, he said, there should be a federal election after the new Liberal leader is crowned on March 9.
“To renegotiate USMCA in the dying days of our current government would just not be fair to Canadians,” he said, using the American term for the trade agreement.
Mr. Moe added that while he believes in countertariffs targeting specific U.S. products, he does not agree with dollar-for-dollar retaliation.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said in an interview that the goal of the trip is to build connections with U.S. politicians to make the case for the value of an integrated North American economy.
“We got a window of time right now where we want to persuade the American administration that we shouldn’t have these tariffs. … For us in Manitoba, we’re talking about hundreds of steelworkers working good jobs in a community like Selkirk,” he said.
B.C. Premier David Eby has pointed out the extraordinary reliance of Americans on Canadian aluminum, including from Rio Tinto’s smelter in Kitimat. The U.S. consumes around five million tonnes of aluminum every year and only produced 750,000 tonnes last year. Canada made up much of the difference, sending 3.1 million tonnes south across the border last year.
As part of the trip, Mr. Ford co-hosted a reception with Republican North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer, one of Mr. Trump’s allies. Mr. Ford also met with Representative Lisa McClain of Michigan and Congressman Rob Wittman of Virginia, both Republicans. His office said he also recently spoke with commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
Mr. Ford’s office confirmed that he flew on a chartered private flight early Tuesday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Ivana Yelich said the plane will also be used to travel to Ontario’s north later this week and was previously used during the 2022 campaign.
With a report from Steven Chase
This article was first reported by The Globe and Mail
