Joe Yates
“This does not make sense. Mark my words, this will hurt the American people,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned, amid the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada.
The 60-year-old leader of Canada's Conservative Party sat down with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick yesterday (March 14), to discuss the tariffs placed on his nation by President Donald Trump - in Ford's attempts to de-escalate the situation.
Before going into the meeting, he spoke with Fox News, insisting that Canada would not give in to the trade war so easily, and tax placed on Canadian imports would only hurt everyday citizens in the US.
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“As the premier of Ontario, I’m supposed to roll over? I’ll never roll over,” Ford told the news channel.
"Inflation is going to happen. A tariff on Canada is a tax on the American people."
However, after the conclusion of his meeting with Lutnick, he emerged in higher spirits, and even told reporters that they had a 'great conversation'.
“It was very, very, very positive on both sides of the table there," he added.
The surprising revelation came just two days after Ford threatened to slap a huge levy on electricity to the homes and businesses of 1.5 million Americans in retaliation to the tariffs the US have imposed on Canadian imports.
"We will apply maximum pressure to maximise our leverage," Ford said at a press conference on Tuesday (March 11). "That's why today we're moving forward with a 25 percent surcharge on electricity exports."
"For the 1.5 million American homes and businesses that Ontario powers, homes and businesses in Minnesota, Michigan and New York, this surcharge will cost families and businesses in these states up to $400,000 each and every single day.
"On an average, this will add around $100 per month to the bills of hardworking Americans."
The following day, he apologized to Americans while appearing as a guest on New York radio station WABC.
Speaking about why he opted to veer away from his retaliatory threats, Ford explained: “There’s a fever pitch right now. We need to bring down the temperature. And I thought it would be in the best interest of America and Canada."
Adding: "This is hurting the American people. The markets are speaking.
"The world is watching right now. Why attack your best neighbor, your treasured ally?
“This does not my sense. Mark my words, this will hurt the American people."