Latest news with #FortressAm-Can
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘It's the Tariffs, Stupid': Ontario Premier Doug Ford Gets Real About the Canada Elections
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is a canny politician, a throwback to a more ideologically flexible but no-bullshit archetype common in 20th-century, big-city American politics. Ford's shrewdest play may have been his most recent, when he called for a snap election earlier this year, and his Progressive Conservatives won decisively. Yet it's how he went about pursuing victory that's so instructive. Ford threw on a blue 'Canada Is Not For Sale' cap, modeled after a MAGA hat, threatened to cut off power from Canada to American households and generally made himself Captain Canada. Loudly denouncing President Donald Trump's tariff and annexation threats, the leader of the country's most populous province became ubiquitous on TV on both sides of the border in the tenuous interregnum between when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he'd resign and before Prime Minister Mark Carney took office. He also shuttled between Toronto and Washington, pitching to anybody who'd listen about his Fortress Am-Can plan for the two countries to team up against China. Ford was also, he thought, modeling how Conservatives could run in the federal election, which concludes Monday. Yet standing up for Canada and against the U.S. incursion is not, to Ford's befuddlement, how Conservative Pierre Poilievre ran his race. Chatting last week in his office in the elegant Queen's Park provincial legislative building — think 19th century state capitol meets mini-Parliament — Ford did little to hide his disappointment in how Poilievre campaigned. Surrounded by images of Ontario, one of Winston Churchill and a couple of his late brother, former Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, the premier pulled few punches — on Poilievre's lack of coalition building, the roots of his rivalry with the Conservative leader and on how he would've run the federal campaign. We began by talking about the not-quite-declared battle to lead Canada's Conservatives if Poilievre falls short, and the step that one premier has already taken to position himself as the future of the party. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Have you seen this ad that Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has? It about made me want to go spend the summer there — it was a good sell, he's selling that province. Selling himself for leadership, that's what I figure. I busted his chops, I said: 'Can't you wait till the body gets cold first?' [Editor's note: Houston is widely seen as having ambitions to succeed Poilievre should the Conservative leader be deposed after the election.] In any event, this has been some campaign. This election feels like it's as much about our craziness as anything else in Canada. Yeah, I don't disagree. But we'll see what happens on the 28th, and it'll give us a little bit of certainty. I say a little bit because I think it's going to be a minority government either way. Have you ever seen anything like this? You've been in politics a long time. Your family obviously has. Does this remind you of anything? Or is this a total outlier? This is an outlier. Who would have ever thought in January that we'd be going to the polls and then the feds would be, too, and that the prime minister would step down! No one would have thought. And you were sort of the de facto prime minister for six weeks, right? Or Captain Canada, at least. We had to protect the rest of the country. No one else was standing up, per se. And the pitch was good. The Am-Can was a really smart idea and a way to get to Trump to think 'Hey, China's the real issue here.' Absolutely it is. It's still the real issue. I've been saying that for a few years now. We have to keep an eye on China, and it's come to fruition. Hopefully we can get through this and put a ring around, as they say, the Am-Can fortress. Obviously you scared the shit out of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on cutting off electricity, and he responded. But have you been able to get to Trump at all and pitch the Am-Can at all? No. I think Trump would like that. I'm sure he would. But he thinks he's taking over Canada. We can work together, have a strong alliance without saying that they're going to take over the country. What drives that? Is that because he thinks that Canada has a better economic deal going, and we're kind of the same, so we might as well just be one big country? Is it that simple? Well, I think when Trudeau went to visit him, Trudeau said that we'd get annihilated if this deal doesn't go through. Either way, you tell Trump that and his ears pop up and bingo, he's latched on ever since. Did this start as a way just to screw with Trudeau, do you think? I think it started that way. Absolutely. And then he just kept going. Don't you think Trump and Carney would actually get along better? Because Trudeau is like the kind of person Trump would hate. Whereas Carney is the kind of person Trump has been trying to impress for 50 years: Harvard, Goldman Sachs, all the credentials And Brookfield, a chair at Bloomberg. All those credentials are the ones Trump looks for and craves. We'll see what happens. If Mark wins, I think we'll have a half decent relationship. Because they're all from that New York group, Lutnick, the whole thing. One thing that seems unusual for Canada in this race is the threat of Trump has elevated the two major parties here and marginalized the minor parties because folks don't want to waste their vote 100 percent. The New Democratic Party shifted — they're in a freefall. And their votes usually go to the Liberals. That's what's going to make the difference. You have to win Ontario. Yeah, talk to me about Ontario. You have to win Toronto and the Greater Toronto area. And if you win those two areas, more than likely you'll win the country. But it doesn't sound like Poilievre is getting that done right now. It doesn't appear that way. So we'll see what happens. Somebody told me that the two of you guys have never really met in person. How is that possible? You're going to have to ask him. I think seven years ago, I met him once in Ottawa. A breakfast right after one of my events. But we never really talked there. That's malpractice on his part. Why wouldn't he make the effort? You're going to have to ask him that. But I think it's common sense when you're in an election, you reach across to as many people as you can. But apparently he doesn't have a relationship with the premier in Nova Scotia either. Yeah. Not at all. Or local mayors. Or anyone. I don't understand it. And he worked in politics, he understands politics. It's his campaign manager, Jenni Byrne, in my opinion. But he's still the boss, right? Yeah, you're the principal. You're the candidate. Somebody told me it's because in an earlier life, Byrne worked for you and one of your staffers fired her. Absolutely. That's pretty accurate. A 15-year-old staff fight is the reason he's pissing away the biggest endorsement in Ontario? I don't understand. I don't understand it. Has Carney reached out to you at all? Yes. And I have an obligation as the chair of the federation that represents all the premiers that changes every year — it falls on my lap this year ironically. He said all the right things? Very nice. Is part of Poilievre's challenge stylistically that he's a little too much like Trump? I don't know about that. Trump's unique. But there's four or five different types of conservatives across the country. You're focusing on your base when you should be focusing maybe on other areas like Ontario. The G7 is meeting in Alberta this summer. Is Canada going to have to think about its security alliances, too, going forward? It's critical. Number one, Canada has to meet its 2 percent NATO commitment. And it's easy enough to do: Buy more planes, maybe ships from the U.S. We're not far away. We spent 1.4 percent. We need to get up to 2 percent. It can be done. Do you think this will be the impetus — the current unpleasantness — to get to 2 percent? It has to. We're all in favor of it. All the premiers. If the U.S. isn't reliable, you need to start arming yourself? I think they'll always be reliable. We'd be in deep trouble if they weren't. And we make so many different components for your military, and the critical minerals. Well, so that brings up something looming out there that nobody wants to talk about, but I think is important. There's talk in Alberta about the possibility of a ballot measure about secession. Obviously it's a loud but fairly small group that's eager to do that. But what happens when somebody tells Trump or Trump figures out that the minerals and the oil and gas that he craves most in this country is mostly in one part of the country? And it happens to be in the part of the country that's putting a ballot measure that wants to secede from Canada. Is that a little dangerous? I think it will be. We're a little worried here in Ontario. We have more critical minerals than anywhere in the world. They have a ton of oil in Alberta. Why don't we leverage that and all work together? It's the easiest thing. Because China is cutting the U.S. off with their critical minerals that they need for their military, aerospace manufacturing. And who has it? We have it here. I just worry about Trump finding out that some in Alberta want to leave and saying alright… He'll find out. And then he says, come on in, water's warm. Absolutely. What's your bottom-line? How concerned are you about the U.S.-Canada relationship? Do you think things will be better a month from now? I'm really hoping so. I always look at the glass half full. And I'm hoping we can get this done. I think with some tough conversations, back and forth, I'm confident we'll get it done. When you and Carney talked, did you tell him the importance about getting this thing done? Oh, 100 percent. What does he say? He agrees. He spent a lot of time in the U.S. like I did. And he understands. You can't just all of a sudden cut off your largest customer on both sides. The U.S. is our largest customer. We're their largest customer. And he just can't say no. Even hardcore Trump supporters — one guy said to me,''I love Trump. I think I'll vote for him. But I can't stand that he's attacking our little brother.' That's what he said. Especially if you live on the border and you fish or hunt up here, you have a summer place up here, you've been up here over the years, it's bizarre to suddenly be adversaries. Millions and millions of people go back and forth across the border. Seemingly every person I've met the past three days here said, 'Oh yeah, I've got a place in Florida or a place in Arizona…' So there's 3.2 million visitors to Florida every year from Canada. They own $30 billion worth of real estate. They pay a billion in taxes. They spend $11 billion a year in Florida. And now, people have stopped going. One last thing: If you were running for prime minister, if you were the Conservative leader, how would you have pivoted once Trump became the issue? Once Trudeau stepped down and this race was no longer about Trudeau and was about Trump, what would you have done? I'd have a deal within a month of the day I got elected. I feel like I could talk to him. Because Poilievre never pivoted towards a Trump-centered election. He never recognized that once you lost Trudeau, you lost the carbon tax, and you had to make a switch. 100 percent. I ran my whole election on Trump and protecting Ontarians, protecting communities and jobs and businesses. Right, like the Carney campaign now. I didn't keep any secrets. I told Pierre, he called me once after a little while — people said, 'You've got to call him' — and said: What advice can I get? It's one thing, our polling shows it. We just came off a big victory. It's the tariffs. A number of years ago James Carville said, 'It's the economy, stupid.' Well, it's the tariffs, stupid. That's what it is. Why didn't he do it? I can't figure it out. By the way, that phone call must have been hard to make. Did somebody put a gun to his head? That's exactly what happened. Ben Johansen contributed to this report.
Politico
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Politico
‘It's the Tariffs, Stupid': Ontario Premier Doug Ford Gets Real About the Canada Elections
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is a canny politician, a throwback to a more ideologically flexible but no-bullshit archetype common in 20th-century, big-city American politics. Ford's shrewdest play may have been his most recent, when he called for a snap election earlier this year, and his Progressive Conservatives won decisively. Yet it's how he went about pursuing victory that's so instructive. Ford threw on a blue 'Canada Is Not For Sale' cap, modeled after a MAGA hat, threatened to cut off power from Canada to American households and generally made himself Captain Canada. Loudly denouncing President Donald Trump's tariff and annexation threats, the leader of the country's most populous province became ubiquitous on TV on both sides of the border in the tenuous interregnum between when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he'd resign and before Prime Minister Mark Carney took office. He also shuttled between Toronto and Washington, pitching to anybody who'd listen about his Fortress Am-Can plan for the two countries to team up against China. Ford was also, he thought, modeling how Conservatives could run in the federal election, which concludes Monday. Yet standing up for Canada and against the U.S. incursion is not, to Ford's befuddlement, how Conservative Pierre Poilievre ran his race. Chatting last week in his office in the elegant Queen's Park provincial legislative building — think 19th century state capitol meets mini-Parliament — Ford did little to hide his disappointment in how Poilievre campaigned. Surrounded by images of Ontario, one of Winston Churchill and a couple of his late brother, former Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, the premier pulled few punches — on Poilievre's lack of coalition building, the roots of his rivalry with the Conservative leader and on how he would've run the federal campaign. We began by talking about the not-quite-declared battle to lead Canada's Conservatives if Poilievre falls short, and the step that one premier has already taken to position himself as the future of the party. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Have you seen this ad that Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has? It about made me want to go spend the summer there — it was a good sell, he's selling that province. Selling himself for leadership, that's what I figure. I busted his chops, I said: 'Can't you wait till the body gets cold first?' [Editor's note: Houston is widely seen as having ambitions to succeed Poilievre should the Conservative leader be deposed after the election.] In any event, this has been some campaign. This election feels like it's as much about our craziness as anything else in Canada. Yeah, I don't disagree. But we'll see what happens on the 28th, and it'll give us a little bit of certainty. I say a little bit because I think it's going to be a minority government either way. Have you ever seen anything like this? You've been in politics a long time. Your family obviously has. Does this remind you of anything? Or is this a total outlier? This is an outlier. Who would have ever thought in January that we'd be going to the polls and then the feds would be, too, and that the prime minister would step down! No one would have thought. And you were sort of the de facto prime minister for six weeks, right? Or Captain Canada, at least. We had to protect the rest of the country. No one else was standing up, per se. And the pitch was good. The Am-Can was a really smart idea and a way to get to Trump to think 'Hey, China's the real issue here.' Absolutely it is. It's still the real issue. I've been saying that for a few years now. We have to keep an eye on China, and it's come to fruition. Hopefully we can get through this and put a ring around, as they say, the Am-Can fortress. Obviously you scared the shit out of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on cutting off electricity, and he responded. But have you been able to get to Trump at all and pitch the Am-Can at all? No. I think Trump would like that. I'm sure he would. But he thinks he's taking over Canada. We can work together, have a strong alliance without saying that they're going to take over the country. What drives that? Is that because he thinks that Canada has a better economic deal going, and we're kind of the same, so we might as well just be one big country? Is it that simple? Well, I think when Trudeau went to visit him , Trudeau said that we'd get annihilated if this deal doesn't go through. Either way, you tell Trump that and his ears pop up and bingo, he's latched on ever since. Did this start as a way just to screw with Trudeau, do you think? I think it started that way. Absolutely. And then he just kept going. Don't you think Trump and Carney would actually get along better? Because Trudeau is like the kind of person Trump would hate. Whereas Carney is the kind of person Trump has been trying to impress for 50 years: Harvard, Goldman Sachs, all the credentials And Brookfield, a chair at Bloomberg. All those credentials are the ones Trump looks for and craves. We'll see what happens. If Mark wins, I think we'll have a half decent relationship. Because they're all from that New York group, Lutnick, the whole thing. One thing that seems unusual for Canada in this race is the threat of Trump has elevated the two major parties here and marginalized the minor parties because folks don't want to waste their vote 100 percent. The New Democratic Party shifted — they're in a freefall. And their votes usually go to the Liberals. That's what's going to make the difference. You have to win Ontario. Yeah, talk to me about Ontario. You have to win Toronto and the Greater Toronto area. And if you win those two areas, more than likely you'll win the country. But it doesn't sound like Poilievre is getting that done right now. It doesn't appear that way. So we'll see what happens. Somebody told me that the two of you guys have never really met in person. How is that possible? You're going to have to ask him. I think seven years ago, I met him once in Ottawa. A breakfast right after one of my events. But we never really talked there. That's malpractice on his part. Why wouldn't he make the effort? You're going to have to ask him that. But I think it's common sense when you're in an election, you reach across to as many people as you can. But apparently he doesn't have a relationship with the premier in Nova Scotia either. Yeah. Not at all. Or local mayors. Or anyone. I don't understand it. And he worked in politics, he understands politics. It's his campaign manager, Jenni Byrne, in my opinion. But he's still the boss, right? Yeah, you're the principal. You're the candidate. Somebody told me it's because in an earlier life, Byrne worked for you and one of your staffers fired her. Absolutely. That's pretty accurate. A 15-year-old staff fight is the reason he's pissing away the biggest endorsement in Ontario? I don't understand. I don't understand it. Has Carney reached out to you at all? Yes. And I have an obligation as the chair of the federation that represents all the premiers that changes every year — it falls on my lap this year ironically. He said all the right things? Very nice. Is part of Poilievre's challenge stylistically that he's a little too much like Trump? I don't know about that. Trump's unique. But there's four or five different types of conservatives across the country. You're focusing on your base when you should be focusing maybe on other areas like Ontario. The G7 is meeting in Alberta this summer. Is Canada going to have to think about its security alliances, too, going forward? It's critical. Number one, Canada has to meet its 2 percent NATO commitment. And it's easy enough to do: Buy more planes, maybe ships from the U.S. We're not far away. We spent 1.4 percent. We need to get up to 2 percent. It can be done. Do you think this will be the impetus — the current unpleasantness — to get to 2 percent? It has to. We're all in favor of it. All the premiers. If the U.S. isn't reliable, you need to start arming yourself? I think they'll always be reliable. We'd be in deep trouble if they weren't. And we make so many different components for your military, and the critical minerals. Well, so that brings up something looming out there that nobody wants to talk about, but I think is important. There's talk in Alberta about the possibility of a ballot measure about secession. Obviously it's a loud but fairly small group that's eager to do that. But what happens when somebody tells Trump or Trump figures out that the minerals and the oil and gas that he craves most in this country is mostly in one part of the country? And it happens to be in the part of the country that's putting a ballot measure that wants to secede from Canada. Is that a little dangerous? I think it will be. We're a little worried here in Ontario. We have more critical minerals than anywhere in the world. They have a ton of oil in Alberta. Why don't we leverage that and all work together? It's the easiest thing. Because China is cutting the U.S. off with their critical minerals that they need for their military, aerospace manufacturing. And who has it? We have it here. I just worry about Trump finding out that some in Alberta want to leave and saying alright… He'll find out. And then he says, come on in, water's warm. Absolutely. What's your bottom-line? How concerned are you about the U.S.-Canada relationship? Do you think things will be better a month from now? I'm really hoping so. I always look at the glass half full. And I'm hoping we can get this done. I think with some tough conversations, back and forth, I'm confident we'll get it done. When you and Carney talked, did you tell him the importance about getting this thing done? Oh, 100 percent. What does he say? He agrees. He spent a lot of time in the U.S. like I did. And he understands. You can't just all of a sudden cut off your largest customer on both sides. The U.S. is our largest customer. We're their largest customer. And he just can't say no . Even hardcore Trump supporters — one guy said to me,''I love Trump. I think I'll vote for him. But I can't stand that he's attacking our little brother.' That's what he said. Especially if you live on the border and you fish or hunt up here, you have a summer place up here, you've been up here over the years, it's bizarre to suddenly be adversaries. Millions and millions of people go back and forth across the border. Seemingly every person I've met the past three days here said, 'Oh yeah, I've got a place in Florida or a place in Arizona…' So there's 3.2 million visitors to Florida every year from Canada. They own $30 billion worth of real estate. They pay a billion in taxes. They spend $11 billion a year in Florida. And now, people have stopped going. One last thing: If you were running for prime minister, if you were the Conservative leader, how would you have pivoted once Trump became the issue? Once Trudeau stepped down and this race was no longer about Trudeau and was about Trump, what would you have done? I'd have a deal within a month of the day I got elected. I feel like I could talk to him. Because Poilievre never pivoted towards a Trump-centered election. He never recognized that once you lost Trudeau, you lost the carbon tax, and you had to make a switch. 100 percent. I ran my whole election on Trump and protecting Ontarians, protecting communities and jobs and businesses. Right, like the Carney campaign now. I didn't keep any secrets. I told Pierre, he called me once after a little while — people said, 'You've got to call him' — and said: What advice can I get? It's one thing, our polling shows it. We just came off a big victory. It's the tariffs. A number of years ago James Carville said, 'It's the economy, stupid.' Well, it's the tariffs, stupid. That's what it is. Why didn't he do it? I can't figure it out. By the way, that phone call must have been hard to make. Did somebody put a gun to his head? That's exactly what happened. Ben Johansen contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Doug Ford Wins Third Majority in Ontario Election Dominated by Trade
(Bloomberg) -- Doug Ford won a third straight election to lead Ontario, as voters in Canada's manufacturing heartland opted for a familiar face to steer an economy that's under threat from US President Donald Trump's trade policy. Cuts to Section 8 Housing Assistance Loom Amid HUD Uncertainty The Trump Administration Takes Aim at Transportation Research Shelters Await Billions in Federal Money for Homelessness Providers NYC's Congestion Pricing Pulls In $48.6 Million in First Month New York's Congestion Pricing Plan Faces Another Legal Showdown Ford's Progressive Conservative Party was leading or elected in 75 of the 124 seats in the provincial legislature as of 9:15 p.m. Toronto time. The New Democratic Party was second, leading or elected in 23 seats. Ford, 60, forced the election more than a year early, saying his government needed a new mandate to spend the billions of dollars necessary to help the economy adjust if a trade war breaks out and causes large-scale job losses. Ford has proposed trying to build a closer alliance with the US for the development of critical minerals and other sectors. That approach, which he nicknamed 'Fortress Am-Can,' would help the US in its geopolitical and economic competition with China, the Ontario premier argued. But Ford has also been a proponent of retaliation if the US goes ahead with tariffs. Ontario — the center of the country's financial and automotive industries, as well as Canada's most populous province — would be one of the most affected regions in a trade conflict, according to the Conference Board of Canada. In the event of a trade war, Ford has floated the idea of curbing energy supplies to the US, taking all the US-made booze off the shelves of liquor stores, canceling the province's contract with Elon Musk's Starlink and excluding US companies from public-sector projects. Trump said Thursday his administration plans to go ahead with tariffs on US imports from Canada and Mexico on March 4, which he outlined in an executive order on Feb. 1 but then delayed. Those tariffs were set at 25% on most products and 10% on energy. The president has also threatened 25% tariffs on automobiles by early April, a move that would disrupt the Ontario plants owned by General Motors Co., Stellantis NV and others, along with parts suppliers. And the administration has also said it will place 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum on March 12. Ontario voters perceived the premier, who has led the province since 2018, as a steady hand in a time of deep economic uncertainty. 'People crave the stability of what they know over the prospect of an unknown in a situation where there is that threat,' Julie Simmons, an associate professor of political science at the University of Guelph, said before the election. Ford's main opponents, Bonnie Crombie of the Liberal Party and Marit Stiles of the NDP, were running for the first time as leaders of their parties. All three ran in greater Toronto. Stiles and Crombie sought to paint Ford as untrustworthy, pointing to a police probe into allegations related to the government's decision to open up environmentally protected land to housing developers — a move that made those parcels worth billions. A report by Bonnie Lysyk, then the province's auditor-general, said certain developers received 'preferential treatment' because they enjoyed special access to the housing minister's chief of staff. Ford, who reversed that decision and apologized in September 2023, told reporters he was 'confident' nothing criminal took place, and a spokesperson for his campaign said he had not been contacted by the police. Opposition leaders also highlighted Ford's refusal to give a price tag for his idea to build a 31-mile tunnel under a major highway running through Toronto. By comparison, the 2.4-mile Hudson River Rail Tunnel is estimated to cost $16.1 billion and began construction in 2023 after more than a decade of false starts. Crombie and Stiles also campaigned on improving health care and education in the province. --With assistance from Stephanie Hughes. Trump's SALT Tax Promise Hinges on an Obscure Loophole Warner Bros. Movie Heads Are Burning Cash, and Their Boss Is Losing Patience Walmart Wants to Be Something for Everyone in a Divided America China Learned to Embrace What the US Forgot: The Virtues of Creative Destruction OXO Fought Back Against the Black Spatula Panic. People Defected Anyway ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Green Ribbon Panel Economic and Energy Leaders Release Statement on Tariff Threat
Panel's D.C. roundtable highlights key principles to ensure energy security and a sustainable future WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, the Green Ribbon Panel issued a statement emphasizing the importance of Canada-US economic cooperation to secure a sustainable energy future and strengthen economic resilience. At a roundtable of business, policy, labour and sector leaders, hosted at the Washington, D.C. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, participants discussed how the threat of tariffs would undermine a historic opportunity for Canada-US strength in energy security and leadership. The Panel highlighted the interdependence of Canada and the United States in key sectors, including energy, labour and manufacturing, stressing that collaboration is essential to mutual economic growth and energy security. And they focused on key policies, principles and measures needed to ensure a productive and prosperous economic arrangement between the two countries. 'Canada and the United States have a long history of economic collaboration that has driven growth and prosperity on both sides of the border. Now, more than ever, we must reinforce this relationship to navigate the energy and economic challenges of the future,' said James Scongack, Chair of the Green Ribbon Panel. 'Our shared commitment to energy security and sustainability will ensure economic resilience for generations to come.' The statement: 'The Green Ribbon Panel believes in the importance of a strong energy alliance between Canada and the United States, enabling economic and energy security and to ensure both countries have access to reliable and affordable power sourced from democratic and stable regimes. Furthermore, the Panel is supportive of the 'Fortress Am-Can strategy' on energy outlined by the Ontario Government as a framework for a stronger relationship. Ontario's strong infrastructure capabilities in electricity transmission, for example, allow for critical links between Canada and Great Lakes states, providing security and reliability. Transmission and inter-tie advancement needs to continue at the forefront of a robust US-Canada energy strategy. The Panel outlines the following principles as central focus areas for American and Canadian cooperation on economic and energy security: Power: The United States and Canada share a common vision of economic growth for their respective countries and for North America to be energy independent and dominant. This growth requires energy to power it. The US and Canada already share significant amounts of energy across the border in the form of both fossil and non-fossil sources (ex. electricity) as well as medical isotopes. Canada's oil and gas sector provides the United States with reliable energy and competitive rates from a dependable neighbour. This arrangement must be protected and leveraged to ensure both national and energy security. Products: Manufacturing and supply chains on both sides of the Canada-US border rely on an integrated trading relationship that mutually benefits both countries. Canadian products are enjoyed by countless Americans and vice-versa. These markets for goods must remain open for consumers and producers alike—a North America-first approach must be advanced. Supply chains for areas such as critical minerals, oil and gas, uranium and medical isotopes are strongly connected and must be protected. Policy certainty: Among the core risk considerations for investments in critical projects is the policy environment within which the decision is being made. As both the United States and Canada seek to promote a positive investment climate for long-term energy and other projects, a commitment to stable, predictable policy is paramount. Prosperity: Both Canada and the United States share a common vision of a healthy and prosperous North America wherein its citizens breathe clean air, have access to safe drinking water, and are economically secure. As neighbours, our countries must work together to create these conditions and reduce reliance on non-democratic regimes. People: Labour on both sides of the border depend on a cooperative and mutually beneficial arrangement between the two countries. Additionally, the movement of people—both in terms of skilled workforce and tourism—provide immense economic benefit. The Green Ribbon Panel and its members are dedicated to championing these principles, ensuring they shape the future of Canada-US trade and energy collaboration. With a shared commitment to progress, we will leverage our networks to influence decisionmakers on both sides of the border to uphold these values. By working together, Canada and the United States have the power to build a future of economic prosperity and energy security—one that is resilient, sustainable and beneficial for generations to come.' The Green Ribbon Panel is an independent organization that was launched in 2020 and comprises leaders from Canada's environmental and economic sectors, advocating for practical and effective solutions to combat climate change. For more information, visit Members of the Green Ribbon Panel: James Scongack, Bruce Power Jeffrey Beach, Asthma Canada Claire Dodds, Bruce County Terry Young, Bruce Power Net Zero, former President & CEO of the Independent Electricity System Operator (Ontario) Dennis Darby, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Vincent Caron, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Mark Fisher, Council of the Great Lakes Region Robert Stasko, Hydrogen Business Council Jessica Linthorne, Nuclear Innovation Institute Daniel Tisch, Ontario Chamber of Commerce Cara Clairman, Plug'n Drive Chris Hilkene, Pollution Probe Steve McAulay, Pollution Probe Jeff Parnell, Power Workers' Union John Sprackett, Power Workers' Union Rebecca Caron, Society of United Professionals About the Green Ribbon PanelThe Green Ribbon Panel is an independent organization consisting of representatives in leadership roles in Canada's environmental and economic sectors, convened to advocate for practical solutions to combat climate change. Learn more at For more information, please contact:Dana Van AllenDirector of CommunicationsNuclear Innovation Institute, Green Ribbon Panel
CBC
10-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Tariffs back in Ontario campaign spotlight with fresh threat from Trump
Tariffs were back in the spotlight on the Ontario election campaign trail Monday, as the major party leaders brace for potential U.S. levies on several key Canadian goods. Speaking to reporters Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed he intends to slap 25 per cent tariffs on aluminum and steel, including from Canada and Mexico. That's despite agreements made by Trump with both countries just last week to delay the imposition of tariffs for 30 days. At a campaign stop in Oakville, PC Leader Doug Ford said Canada and the provinces need to be prepared to react quickly. "We're still learning more about [the tariffs'] scope and impact, but what we know for certain is this is the next four years ... Shifting goal posts constantly and constant chaos all designed to hurt our economy and undermine our workers," he said. Ford was alluding to his central campaign message and supposed reason for calling a snap election: that he needs another clear four-year mandate to deal with the uncertainty of the Trump administration. The PC leader also reiterated his pitch for the so-called "Fortress Am-Can," a renewed energy and security alliance between the U.S. and Canada aimed at out-competing China in the global race for resources and innovation. The idea is not one that appears to have gained much traction with either the federal Liberal government nor the Trump administration. As part of the campaign stop, Ford announced a re-elected PC government would ban Chinese parts from future energy procurement and prohibit any Chinese state-owned enterprises from "buying or taking equity in any Ontario government funded energy and critical mineral projects." CBC News has reached out the PC campaign to ask whether there any existing instances of this happening in the province. PCs trying to distract from record, Crombie says Ford is set to lead a delegation to Washington, D.C., later this week to meet with American lawmakers and business leaders to make against tariffs. The trip has drawn criticism from Ford's political rivals, who argue the trip is an inappropriate use of his office as premier during an election campaign that he himself triggered, and defies democratic norms. Trump's unexpected announcement Sunday came as the other major party leaders were attempting to shift the campaign away from tariffs and on to other provincial issues like health care and housing. At her own campaign stop in Toronto, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said Ford was unprepared for the threat of U.S. tariffs, pointing to the PC leader's previous statements of support for Trump. She said Ford's focus on tariffs is an attempt to distract voters from his record on issues like affordability and health care, and that Ontario needs to be part of a "Team Canada" response to Trump. "But the reality is [Ford's] been caught flatfooted because he hasn't insulated our economy. He hasn't diversified our trade or our trading partners or worked to reduce interprovincial barriers. He hasn't protected our jobs. The only job Doug Ford wants to protect is his own," Crombie told reporters. "Meanwhile, people are struggling and don't have access to a family doctor," she said. For her part, NDP Leader Marit Stiles used a morning news conference with the Ontario Nurses' Association to promise she would establish safe nurse-to-patient ratios in hospital so patients get more care and nurses don't burn out. Stiles said the New Democrats would also hire at least 15,000 nurses over three years, at a cost of $1.5 billion, and redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from for-profit temporary health-care staffing agencies to the public system.
