As leaders around the world try to figure out how best to deal with the new Trump administration, one Canadian official has come out swinging. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a regular on major US networks where he has addressed Americans directly, was among the first in Canada to pull US alcohol off the shelves as a trade war between the two neighbours ramped up.
Ford has also ripped up a multi-million dollar contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink, and has been unafraid to use energy exports to the US as a bargaining chip – all in a bid to get Trump to withdraw his tariff threats against Canada.
The right-wing, plain-spoken politician admitted he was initially delighted Donald Trump won re-election and viewed him as an ally. But then, Ford said, using an expletive, the US president pulled a knife and “yanked it into us”.
This week, it appeared that Ford’s unusual tactics had grabbed Trump’s attention. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn on Tuesday, the US president described Ford as a “very strong man” as he addressed Ontario’s threat to slap a 25% surcharge on US-bound electricity.
Ford has since shelved that plan pending further discussions with the Trump administration. But his threat to hike the price of electricity on Americans seems to have earned him a grudging nod of respect from Trump, who later backed off from doubling tariffs on aluminium and steel to 50%.
It also helped Ford score a meeting with US officials in Washington to discuss the future of the Canada-US trade relationship. Ford is expected to sit at the negotiating table on Thursday with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The meeting will also be attended by Canada’s Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
It is unclear whether Ford’s defiant stance will earn Canada more favours from Trump. It is also an approach that is not unanimously agreed on, with Premier Danielle Smith of the oil-rich Alberta vehemently refusing to withhold any of her province’s energy exports to the US.
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