Premier Doug Ford is clarifying his position regarding an Ontario-based company that’s selling military vehicles to U. S. immigration enforcement, following his earlier praise of the deal as “fantastic.”
Last year, reports indicated that the U. S. government intended to place an order for 20 Senator vehicles for its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, which would amount to about $10 million.
The Senators are armored tactical vehicles used by Ukraine during its conflict with Russia, produced by Roshel, a Brampton, Ont.-based company. The Americans chose to source them directly from this company because it can fulfill the order in just 30 days.
When asked about the order in December 2025, Ford expressed that it was “fantastic” news – commending the company and encouraging the federal government to make a purchase as well.
However, at a different event on Tuesday, Ford appeared to retract his support amidst ongoing discussions around ICE enforcement in places like Minneapolis.
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“I’m going to correct this story once and for all. I heard it on the news. I don’t direct companies to sell military vehicles down south or around the world,” Ford said.
![Click to play video: 'White House shifts stance on deadly ICE shooting of Alex Pretti']()
2:04 White House shifts stance on deadly ICE shooting of Alex Pretti
The Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles stated that this contract – which doesn’t involve any provincial government action – should not go forward.
“ICE has been unleashing lawlessness in the streets and killing civilians in broad daylight,” she said in a statement. “It’s disappointing that the Premier celebrated this contract because we know their actions don’t align with our values here in Ontario and across Canada.”
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The scrutiny of immigration enforcement practices in the U. S., especially regarding how ICE officers operate has intensified after Alex Pretti was shot dead last Saturday-just three weeks following Renee Good’s death at the hands of an ICE agent.
The incident involving Pretti occurred right after residents of Minnesota organized a general strike protesting against ICE’s actions and sparked further backlash from community members, local leaders, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats who raised new concerns about how federal agents conduct themselves and renewed calls for them to leave Minnesota altogether.
– with files from ’s Rachel Goodman
© 2026 , a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. He reiterated his request for more made-in-Ontario vehicles for military use from the federal government. “We did not buy these vehicles; I did not know about these vehicles,” Ford added. “We don’t have anything to do with what crosses the border…. I don’t know where this came from; to be very frank with you, it’s on social media.”
2:04 White House shifts stance on deadly ICE shooting of Alex Pretti
The Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles stated that this contract – which doesn’t involve any provincial government action – should not go forward.
“ICE has been unleashing lawlessness in the streets and killing civilians in broad daylight,” she said in a statement. “It’s disappointing that the Premier celebrated this contract because we know their actions don’t align with our values here in Ontario and across Canada.”
Story continues below
The scrutiny of immigration enforcement practices in the U. S., especially regarding how ICE officers operate has intensified after Alex Pretti was shot dead last Saturday-just three weeks following Renee Good’s death at the hands of an ICE agent.
The incident involving Pretti occurred right after residents of Minnesota organized a general strike protesting against ICE’s actions and sparked further backlash from community members, local leaders, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats who raised new concerns about how federal agents conduct themselves and renewed calls for them to leave Minnesota altogether.
– with files from ’s Rachel Goodman
© 2026 , a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Source link
