In yet another unanticipated pivot in the never-ending U.S.-Canada tariff saga, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has reneged on imposing a surcharge on electricity exported to neighbouring American states.
After holding the retaliatory threat over Donald Trump’s head as soon as the tariff talk shifted from the President’s characteristic bravado into actual action, Ford properly enacted a 25 per cent tax on power sent to New York, Michigan and Minnesota on Monday, noting that it would add an extra $100 to the bills of 1.5 million homes and businesses and bring in hundreds of thousands of revenue to the province per day.
Predictably, this threw Trump into a frenzy, prompting the reality star-turned-leader to announce an increase in tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum on Tuesday — from 25 to a ridiculous 50 per cent.
“Based on Ontario, Canada, placing a 25 per cent Tariff on ‘Electricity’ coming into the United States, I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25 per cent Tariff, to 50 per cent, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” Trump wrote in one of his standard aggressive, stream-of-consciousness posts to Truth Social.
As much as Ford has presented a strong front while acting in Canada’s interests this far, it seems that after a meeting with a different member of the U.S. government, he has decided it is best to soften his stance on the matter and back down.
“Today, United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Premier of Ontario Doug Ford had a productive conversation about the economic relationship between the United States and Canada,” reads a joint update from the two officials, released on Ford’s social media Tuesday afternoon.
It goes on to explain that leading up to a meeting between Lutnick and Ford in Washington this Thursday “to discuss a renewed USMCA ahead of the April 2 reciprocal tariff deadline,” Ford’s team “has agreed to suspend its 25 per cent surcharge on exports of electricity.”
Many have appreciated the premier’s bold stance and loyalty to the province and nation up until this point, and it seems that the public reaction to this news is also overwhelmingly positive, even if it is, in a way, a submission to Trump.
Hundreds of constituents have jumped in to congratulate Ford for making some progress in negotiations within less than an hour since the statement on X went live.
Earlier in the day, Ford chatted with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer for the second time in a week, imploring Trump yet again to back down, end the “chaos,” and be open to meeting and discussing a deal that allows both allies to benefit and prosper in the face of joint international threats.
