OTTAWA — Despite Ontario Premier Doug Ford saying it is time to “fight back” against U.S. tariffs and Prime Minister Mark Carney ruling out retaliation for now, both men claim they are on the “same page” when it comes to dealing with the Trump administration.
Speaking at an unrelated announcement on small nuclear reactors, Ford admitted it might be “a little easier” for him to criticize from the sidelines but said it is “a lot tougher” when sitting across from U.S. President Donald Trump yielding “a big hammer in his hand.”
“I can assure you we’re on the same page,” he told reporters on Thursday. “We have one goal which is to protect the people of Canada, protect the people of Ontario, protect their communities, their jobs or businesses. We’re 100 per cent on the same page.”
Ford raised Carney’s qualities as a dealmaker, saying that he is an “extremely bright businessperson” and said he has “all the confidence” Carney can come to a deal.
“I support the prime minister 1,000 per cent,” he emphasized.
Carney echoed Ford’s message that they are both on the “same page.”
This show of unity from both political leaders comes after
ramped-up rhetoric from Ford last week
who said he was “sick and tired of sitting and rolling over” while the U.S. continues to place new tariffs on Canadian products and drives investment out of the country.
His comments came as Stellantis, formerly called Chrysler, announced it would backtrack on its decision to produce its Jeep Compass in the Brampton Assembly Plant, in Ontario, and instead expand its manufacturing capacity in the Belvidere Assembly Plant in the U.S.
Ford said his message to Carney would be: “If you can’t get a deal, let’s start hitting them back.”
In response, Carney said now is not the time to start retaliating against the U.S.
“There’s time to hit back and there’s time to talk. And right now, it’s time to talk,” he said last week. “We’re having intense negotiations.”
On Thursday, Carney said he speaks regularly to the premiers about the ongoing trade discussions which are currently focused on a sectoral deal for steel, aluminum and the energy industry. He said they were “very detailed, specific, constructive negotiations.”
However, Carney did not weigh in on the possibility of coming to a deal anytime soon.
He recently said in French that it is “possible” to come to an agreement when he’ll meet Trump again during an economic summit in South Korea next week but added “we’ll see.”
Carney said on Thursday that “Americans are moving to an approach which is sector by sector, as opposed to global” and that “broader aspects” of Canada’s economy will be discussed during the review of the CUSMA free trade agreement in just a few months.
“But let’s be clear… if we ultimately don’t make progress in these various sectors, we’re going to do what’s necessary to protect our workers,” Carney said.
That could mean not giving “unfair access” to Canada’s market if the access is not reciprocal, he said.
“We’re not at that point, but we’ll do what’s right, in lockstep, together.”
Carney said the U.S. tariffs have been hurting hard many sectors of the Canadian economy, one of which is the auto sector in Ontario which has been taking more hits.
On the issue of General Motors, which confirmed this week it is ending its production of the BrightDrop electric delivery vans in its assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Carney said that it was “as much about a model that didn’t work as it was about the tariff situation.”
The company had previously paused production at the plant in May, citing slowing demand in the EV market.
Ford said that the CEO of General Motors should think “long and hard” about its decision or they might lose the support and the business of the Canadian people in the long run.
“I have faith with General Motors that they may have a change of mind,” he said.
Carney and Ford were at the Darlington plant in Bowmanville to announce that their governments are contributing $2 billion and $1 billion, respectively, to build small nuclear reactors. The project was part of the first wave of Ottawa’s nation-building projects.
Carney called it a “generational investment” and said it would make Canada the first country in the G7 to have this new kind of nuclear reactor.
Ford said it was a “critical moment” for Ontario and for Canada amid the ongoing trade war with the U.S. He said the reactors built at Darlington would help create 18,000 jobs during construction and add more than $38 billion to Canada’s GDP over the next 65 years.
He also said that at least 80 per cent of the project spending will go to Ontario companies, including using steel made in the province to build the new small modular reactors.
“With tariffs and economic uncertainty hammering Ontario’s workers and businesses, this is exactly the sort of investment our province needs.”
National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com
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