‘We need to make a deal,’ Ford says after Trump responds to energy threat
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Canada and the United States need to “make a deal” as president-elect Donald Trump’s threats of sweeping tariffs continues to loom over the two countries.
Ford made those comments Friday, one day after Trump responded to his threat of stopping energy exports to the U.S. should Trump follow through.
Trump told a CNBC reporter on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday that it was “OK” if Ford did that, adding it was “fine.” He then went on to claim the U.S. is “subsidizing” Canada to the tune of US$100 billion a year — a claim he’s made in the past before.
“Well, what you didn’t hear on the tape after (is) he says ‘I really want to make a deal with Canada.’ That’s the first time he’s ever said that, and I respect the position he’s coming from. I’m sure he respects the position we’re coming from,” Ford said Friday.
“He also mentioned he has lots of friends in Canada. Well, we have lots of friends in the U.S. — that’s the reason we need to make a deal because we’re part of the larger family.”
CNBC did not air Trump’s comments about wanting to make a deal, however the reporter told the broadcast Trump said to him off camera afterwards he hoped “we can work something out.”
How Ontario is preparing to respond to Trump’s threat
Shortly after winning the November presidential election, Trump threatened to impose 25-per cent tariffs on all imported goods from Canada and Mexico if both countries do not address illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking into the U.S.
Since then, Ford and Canada’s premiers have held meetings with the federal government to discuss potential responses, with Trudeau sharing an “overview” Wednesday of his government’s plan to strengthen border security in response to the tariff threat.
After the meeting, Ford, who said he now believes there is a “100 per cent” chance tariffs will be imposed in early January, made his threat to “cut off” millions of American living in border states from Ontario’s energy exports.
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Furthermore, government sources told Global News the province is also considering restricting imports of U.S.-made alcohol, and limiting exports of Canadian critical minerals to the U.S.
They described the plan as “escalation maneuvers” that are still being fleshed out. One source added the government is “deadly serious” about the approach, even if the premier offered personal reservations about cutting off the power supply to millions of American homes and businesses.
On Friday, Ford said he’s been speaking spoke to several U.S. politicians over recent days, and said they’re not singing the same tune as Trump.
“I’m hearing: ‘Let’s get moving, let’s make a deal and get this done,’” Ford said.
“We’ll get through it. Maybe a few bumps in the road; we just have to be prepared.”
— with files from Colin D’Mello and Isaac Callan
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
