Ford says Ontario will push back on Trump tariff threat, urges Trudeau to take action

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on the prime minister to take a threat from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on tariffs seriously, but he says he is also planning action of his own.

Trump is threatening to impose a 25 per cent import tariff on goods coming from Canada and Mexico right after he takes office, saying they would remain in effect until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs like fentanyl from entering the U.S.

Ford says Trump’s comments comparing Canada to Mexico are insulting and adds that it feels like “a family member stabbing you right in the heart.”

“To compare us to Mexico is the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard from our friends and closest allies, the United States of America,” Ontario’s Premier said.

Ford says he is pressing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action on border security. Still, he is also planning a “full-out campaign” to appeal directly to U.S. governors of states that do a lot of trade with Ontario. 

“One ounce of any illegal drug is one ounce too many going back and forth across the border.”

The premier says many states and industries depend on resources such as energy and critical minerals from Ontario and Canada, adding that the province has produced a commercial running in all jurisdictions in the U.S. with a message of being “stronger together.”

Trudeau has good call with Trump, PM says

Trump made the comments on Truth Social, saying the tariffs would remain in effect until Canada and Mexico stop illegal border crossings and prevent drugs like fentanyl from entering the U.S.

“We obviously talked about laying out the facts, talking about how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth. We talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together,” Trudeau said on his way into the weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday morning.

“It was a good call. This is something we can do, laying out the facts in constructive ways. This is a relationship we know takes a certain amount of working on and that’s what we’ll do.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement Monday night that Canada places “the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border.”

She also stressed that cross-border trade between the two countries is significant, noting in particular that 60 per cent of U.S. crude oil imports came from Canada last year.

A 25 per cent tariff on those imports is expected to jack up gas prices for American consumers immediately.

With files from Kyle Duggan and David Baxter of The Canadian Press