Tariffs from U.S. could cost up to 500,000 Ontario jobs, Ford says
Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods on his first day in office next week
Ontario officials estimate that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Canadian goods could cost up to half a million jobs, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday, as he called for stronger and more visible action from the federal government.
The actual number of Ontario jobs affected by the 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods that Trump has signalled are coming will depend on what sectors are targeted, Ford said, but the ministries have told him it could be between 450,000 to 500,000.
"This is serious," Ford said at a press conference. "It's unprecedented."
All 13 premiers are set to meet Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Ford said that with inauguration day happening in less than a week, a plan for how to respond to the tariffs should have already been finalized.
"I'm going to be blunt: they need to get their act together," Ford said. "Simple as that. It shouldn't be up to the premiers to be calling for a followup, in-person meeting. This should have happened a while ago, and we need to work as Team Canada. We can't have a divided Canada, we have to make sure we all stick together, and we're all singing off the same song sheet."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who recently visited with Trump in Florida, has cautioned against the federal government blocking energy exports to the U.S. in response to tariffs, while Ford has said all options should be on the table.
One of the reasons Trump has said he's imposing tariffs is border security, and while Ottawa has pledged $1.3 billion to tackle the issue, Ford said it's not moving quickly enough.
"We need the federal government to step up with a solid plan for securing our border, and to make sure they get their two per cent NATO commitment," Ford said."We heard a number thrown out there, $1.3 billion for our border protection. I have yet to see anything, nothing at all," Ford said, adding that federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty "needs to come out of hiding" and publicly lay out Ottawa's plan.
Ford is set to meet Tuesday afternoon with Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
Ford meeting with LeBlanc
The premier has also said he may need to spend tens of billions of dollars in response to the effects of the tariffs in Ontario and has suggested he is thinking about calling an early election in order to put that type of stimulus spending to voters.
He did not give an indication of what timing he may have in mind, but did say he believes Trump may try to "slow roll" the tariffs.
In a social media post on Tuesday, though, Trump pledged to create an external revenue service on inauguration day to start collecting "tariffs, duties and all revenue that come from foreign sources."
"We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share. January 20, 2025, will be the birth date of the External Revenue Service. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump said in the post.
It was not clear how such a department would work. The U.S. secretary of the treasury establishes regulations and Customs and Border Protection collects applicable tariffs at U.S. ports of entry. The creation of such a department likely would require approval from Congress.
Former PM takes issue with Trump statements
Still, the Truth Social post is another indication that Trump intends to impose the sweeping tariffs when he takes office next week.
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper said he has "a real problem" with the things Trump has been saying about the trade relationship.
In an interview with an American podcaster released on Monday, Harper swatted down Trump's claim that the U.S. is subsidizing Canada, attributing the "modest trade surplus" to the fact that the U.S. buys so much Canadian oil and gas at a discount to world markets.
"It's actually Canada that subsidizes the United States in this regard," he said.
Harper said the shared defence of North America through NORAD is also not a subsidy. "The United States does that because it's in the vital interest of the United States," he said. "Do you want Canada to be a neutral country?"
He also said there's no major flow of migrants into the U.S. from Canada, while calling the Biden administration's policy on the southern border "disgraceful."
"I'm gonna tell you right now: drugs, guns, crime — most of those things flow north, not south," Harper said.