(The Hill) – Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he is prepared to cut off electricity exports to the U.S. if President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods go through.
“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,” Ford told reporters at a mining convention in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Sun reported.
Ford doubled down on his pledge to retaliate by matching tariffs, noting the U.S. is a major customer of Canada’s electricity.
“They rely on our energy. They need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard,” he said.
The Sun reported Ford said he would go dollar-for-dollar in matching tariffs: “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Ford suggested the federal and provincial governments are unified in their approach to fighting U.S. tariffs.
“The provinces have a big say in it, but it’s the federal government that’s leading the charge, and we’re going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder no matter who’s in the federal government.
“I [didn’t] start this tariff war, but we’re going to win this tariff war,” Ford added.
The remarks come as Trump announced Monday that the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico will officially go into effect Tuesday, saying there is no more room for dealmaking before the 30-day delay expires.
“The tariffs, they’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow,” Trump said, adding there’s “no room left for Mexico or Canada” to make a deal before midnight.
Trump had warned last week that the tariffs will go forward after he delayed them for a month following conversations with the Canadian and Mexican leaders, during which they agreed to action to address the flow of drugs at the border.
Trump said Monday that “vast amounts of fentanyl got poured into our country” largely through Mexico and from China, and he encouraged car manufacturers to build plants in the U.S. to avoid the upcoming tariffs.
“So, what they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs,” Trump said Monday.
The president also announced reciprocal tariffs will start April 2, which will cover imports from all nations that levy import taxes on U.S. goods.
