Premier Doug Ford stated that he won’t cut off the electricity Ontario sends to 1.5 million homes in the U. S. without backing from other provincial leaders.
Ford made this remark during a press conference in Vaughan, Ont. on Wednesday. He emphasized that “everything is on the table” regarding the trade conflict with the U. S., but implied that Ontario would not act alone.
“I can’t do it alone. You know, I’m not the only province that ships electricity down to the U. S. We need a Team Canada approach, and I’d be happy, within the provinces, to lead that approach,” he said.
Last year, the province briefly implemented and then withdrew a 25 percent surcharge on its electricity exports to New York, Michigan and Minnesota as tensions began rising in trade.
Previously, Ford mentioned he would cut energy supplies to those states completely “with a smile” if tensions escalated further.
“If this escalates and we can’t get back to the table, and he (Trump) keeps coming after us, all options are on the table, in my opinion,” Ford said Wednesday.
Recent data from Statistics Canada shows that Ontario exported 12.8 million MWh (megawatt-hours) of electricity to the U. S. in 2024, making it the largest exporter among Canadian provinces. British Columbia and Manitoba followed as second and third largest exporters with 6.3 million MWh and 6.0 million MWh sent south respectively.
The earlier surcharge on electricity exports drew criticism from Trump at that time. The president questioned why Canada wasn’t providing power for itself before threatening that Canada would face a financial cost “so big” it would be “read about in history books for many years to come,” prior to retracting the surcharge.
Ford Says No Ads Targeting U. S. Before Midterms
Ford announced his government won’t run ads against tariffs aimed at Americans leading up to November’s midterm elections due to a desire to ease tensions amidst ongoing disputes. “I want to (run the ads), but I don’t want to heighten this fight at all,” he said when asked about promotional spots which had cost tens of millions of dollars for production and broadcasting. “We need to get back at the table. We got to simmer things down.” He also expressed hope that Democrats could “get their act together” ahead of voting day on Nov. 3, highlighting what he sees as internal divisions within their party. Earlier this week, he advised Americans not to vote for candidates who might harm jobs and mentioned he’d go “door-knocking” himself if possible. His call for reducing tension follows similar comments made during an appearance on U. S. television Tuesday after engaging in a verbal clash with Trump just one day before. On Monday, Ford told Trump he could “kiss my ass” in response to Trump’s threat of imposing a 50 percent tariff on Canadian cars and trucks. Trump later responded by calling Ford the “less charismatic, intelligent and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great Rob Ford.” While he stated he doesn’t regret his remarks, Ford admitted that their exchange did get somewhat “too heated.” Ottawa announced dollar-for-dollar counter tariffs on hundreds of American goods as retaliation against Trump’s imposition of 50 percent tariffs affecting roughly $28 billion worth of Canadian products following failed trade talks last Friday.Ford Encourages Oil Export Cuts Amidst Tensions
In addition to issues surrounding electricity exports, Ford has urged other Canadian leaders like Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to halt oil exports into the U. S., aiming for greater pressure on them. Despite Smith consistently rejecting this idea, she affirmed her commitment toward developing a pipeline previously proposed by both provinces last month.“As I’ve said in past discussions , cutting off Alberta energy exports into America would severely impact Canadians , so it’s not a practical option ,” Smith commented in a statement released earlier this week after speaking with Ford.
Despite disagreements , Ford expressed optimism about their relationship stating they generally get along “quite” well , noting plans for him visiting her province soon for discussions.
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