Premier Doug Ford is proposing a closer relationship with the United States when it comes to critical minerals while boasting the province won’t “roll over” if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his tariff threats. upon taking office next week. .
Ford made the comment during a news conference at the Royal Ontario Museum on Monday, where he discussed a plan to create a new Am-Can Critical Minerals Security Alliance that would “help build U.S. and Canadian critical mineral supply chains.” , in part. reducing bureaucracy in resource-rich areas like Ontario’s Ring of Fire region.
The alliance is the latest in a series of announcements aimed at strengthening the trade relationship between the United States and Ontario as part of Ford’s “Fortress Am-Can” speech.
But the prime minister told reporters Monday that he is not ruling out retaliatory measures and has prepared a “list” of measures in case Trump imposes a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods, as promised.
Ford has previously suggested that Ontario could cut off electricity to about 1.5 million homes in New York, Michigan and Minnesota in response to the tariffs.
“When our country is under economic attack, when our province is under economic attack, you just don’t give up,” Ford said when asked specifically about the energy threat.
“Maybe I come from a different school, but I believe in negotiating through strength, not weakness.”
Ford’s comments Monday come after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.
Smith, for his part, told reporters after the meeting that Alberta “will not tolerate” any attempt by the feds to use an energy embargo to combat Trump’s tariff threats.
Ford, however, has refused to take retaliatory actions related to the electricity Ontario supplies to the United States off the table.
“Let me be very clear. I speak for Ontario. “I don’t speak for Alberta, I don’t speak for Premier Smith, but we (Ontario) have to use every tool available,” Ford said Monday. “When we look at the things that the United States needs, the United States needs aluminum from Quebec or it will devastate its manufacturing, they desperately need our high-quality nickel from Ontario, they need Ontario’s energy and electricity and they need the potash from Saskatchewan that is shipped to all farmers in the United States…”
Ford told reporters Monday that he was “glad” Smioth traveled to Florida and had a “couple-minute talk” with Trump, calling the face-to-face “important.”
Ford said he remains open to meeting with Trump himself, but doesn’t believe doing so is essential to spreading Ontario’s message.
“I can tell you one thing he (Trump) knows very well about Ontario,” Ford said of Trump.
