Doug Ford pulls back retaliatory measures after 30-day pause on tariffs

Doug Ford says the province will be pausing retaliatory measures after U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to a 30-day pause on proposed tariffs.

Ford had planned to ban American companies from provincial contracts, specifically mentioning the $100 million deal with Starlink due to its connection to Elon Musk, a key member of Trump’s new administration.

American products will also no longer be pulled from LCBO shelves. However, Ford said they wouldn’t hesitate to implement the retaliatory measures.

“We have some good news today. We have temporarily averted tariffs that would have severely damaged our economy, giving time for more negotiation and time for cooler heads to prevail,” read Ford’s statement.

“If President Trump proceeds with tariffs, we won’t hesitate to remove American products off LCBO shelves or ban American companies from provincial procurement.”

Ford, meanwhile, appeared on Fox and Friends on Monday morning, reiterating in the interview that a tariff war started by the U.S. and Trump “will only hurt workers and raise costs for hard-working families on both sides of the border.”

When asked if Ford still backed Trump during his presidency, he responded, “Absolutely not. I’ll never support that guy again.”

In November 2024, Ford’s government signed a $100-million deal with Musk’s SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet to remote residents in rural and northern Ontario.

The new program, ONSAT (Ontario Satellite Internet), was slated to bring Starlink’s satellite internet system to 15,000 premises. The move at the time was part of the province’s $4-billion plan to deliver high-speed projects to every corner of Ontario.

Starlink uses a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, enabling global coverage. This significantly reduces latency, making the connection faster and more responsive than traditional satellite internet. Concerns range from high costs to regulatory and political issues.

Musk contributed roughly $200 million USD to America PAC, a super political action committee that worked to organize Trump support last fall. Among the projects Trump has assigned Musk is to work with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on an effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Since the election, Musk has regularly visited Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Fla., and has been part of calls and meetings with prospects for Cabinet positions and world leaders.

With files from The Associated Press