Canada's provincial premiers met in Ottawa this week with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They were grappling with the 25% tariffs threatened by Donald Trump once he takes office next week. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the tariffs would be devastating to Canada and his province, and he wants to send a strong message to Washington about how Canada will retaliate.
“It could cost 500,000 jobs. This is serious. It's unprecedented,” Ford said.
Ford says the impact of the tariffs will also cost Ontario billions of dollars in stimulus spending to protect people. That was the day before he met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other provincial premiers. They were in Ottawa to put the final touches on a plan on how to respond to the tariffs. In the end, the premiers were united for the most part. Ford wants a tough response to Trump's threatened action.
“I'm a strong believer in retaliatory tariffs. You can't let someone hit you over the head with a sledgehammer without hitting him back twice as hard, In my opinion,” Ford said.
The premiers, except for Danielle Smith of Alberta, supported using energy as retaliation, but only as a last resort. She would not agree to export tariffs as a retaliatory measure.
Ford says the provinces have their own priorities, but “Nothing is more important than the country. Country comes first over the jurisdictions, and this is my opinion, but it also means using every tool in our toolbox.,” Ford said.
Ford remains tight-lipped about the countermeasures that Ottawa is preparing. He says he's also seen details of the federal government's $1.3 billion border plan, calling it fabulous. Ford came to the meeting sporting a blue baseball cap carrying the slogan, Canada is not for sale, reminiscent of Trump's Make America Great Again.
