Recently re-elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney made headlines on Wednesday when they came together for their first face-to-face meeting, ahead of Ford’s trip to Washington D.C. to discuss the ongoing trade issues with Trump’s administration.
The breakfast meeting, which was hosted at Wally’s Grill in Etobicoke (located at 123 Rexdale Blvd.), allowed the two politicians to align their strategies on how best to approach U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance on tariffs and free trade.
Owner of Wally’s Grill, George Gianakopoulos, told blogTO that “everyone had a positive experience” when the two politicians popped by for some breakfast yesterday morning.
“We were thrilled to host Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s breakfast meeting today. All the customers wanted to take photos with them and they obliged,” Gianakopoulos said.
“The two enjoyed their breakfast and Mr. Carney promised to come back with his brother on another occasion.”
This morning, I met with Mark Carney, Canada’s incoming prime minister for a positive and productive discussion. We agreed on the need to stand firm and strong in the face of President Trump’s threats, including additional retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. tariffs on steel… pic.twitter.com/tIGK8W2FNJ
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) March 12, 2025
During the breakfast meeting, which Ford called a “positive and productive discussion,” the politicians both ordered the poached eggs breakfast and coffee, according to Gianakopoulos.
In a statement to X, Ford wrote that he and Carney “agreed on the need to stand firm and strong in the face of President Trump’s threats, including additional retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, which will raise costs for American businesses and families.”
He added that he looks forward to sitting down with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and members of the Trump administration’s economic team on Thursday — a meeting that Ford says was set up by Lutnick to discuss the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Thanks for the breakfast meeting, Premier @fordnation — and for standing up for Ontario.
We’ve got a big fight ahead of us, and we’ll be working together every step of the way. We’re strongest when we’re united. pic.twitter.com/9dCF3FPCJq
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) March 12, 2025
The back-and-forth trade dispute escalated when Trump’s administration imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum imports. In retaliation, Canada announced tariffs worth nearly $30 billion on U.S. goods.
Ahead of his meeting in D.C., Ford told reporters on Wednesday that he believes Carney will have a “better relationship” with Trump than Trudeau did.
“It’s going to be a better relationship than with Prime Minister Trudeau, and no disrespect to Prime Minister Trudeau,” he said. “I can tell you one thing. Mark Carney’s an extremely astute business mind. He understands numbers, and so does President Trump and Secretary Lutnick.”
Trump has repeatedly referred to Trudeau as “governor,” and during his first term in office, clashed with Trudeau over trade and tariffs as the North American Free Trade Agreement was being renegotiated.
Carney is expected to be sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister by the end of the week, although an official ceremony at Rideau Hall has not been scheduled yet. Carney says he will be holding out on any formal discussions with Trump regarding tariffs and trade until after an official ceremony has taken place.
