Ford says Ontario is ready to unleash ‘additional retaliatory measures’ if Trump’s tariffs materialize

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, wearing a 'Canada Is Not For Sale' hat, speaks as he arrives for a first ministers meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province is standing by with “additional retaliatory measures” if incoming U.S. president Donald Trump follows through on his tariff threat when he takes office on Monday.

Ford issued the warning on Sunday within a congratulatory message to Trump and vice-president elect JD Vance ahead of inauguration day.

“The province is ready to support federal tariffs as part of the country’s first line of retaliation. If necessary, we are ready with additional retaliatory measures within provincial jurisdiction that can support escalation over time,” Ford wrote, adding that the “trade and tariff war started by the U.S.” will “only benefit China and Chinese-backed companies.”

Last week, sources confirmed to CTV News that Ottawa is positioned to respond quickly to Trump’s threatened 25 per cent tax on Canadian goods, if they come to pass, with three rounds of retaliatory tariffs.

Ford didn’t say exactly what measures the province is considering to complement the federal response, but said his government would work with Ottawa to determine “when and how” to implement them.

“It shouldn’t have to come to this. I hope it doesn’t,” Ford wrote. The premier has previously threatened to cut off electricity to the 1.5 million homes south of the border which the province powers.

On Wednesday of last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the country’s premiers, a group Ford chairs, to discuss the looming threat, which Trump has said could possibly be undone if both Canada and Mexico strengthen their borders against the flow of illegal migrants and drugs.

All premiers, except Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, signed a joint statement released after the meeting vowing to bolster the border and ensure a “robust response” in the face of the tariffs. Smith said at the time that while she agreed on several strategies discussed in the meeting, she did not support imposing export tariffs on Alberta energy as a possible retaliatory measure.

In the months that followed Trump’s initial tariff threat, Ford appeared on U.S. network television several times to underscore the province’s unique trade relationship with the country.

The premier has been critical of Ottawa’s response to the tariffs, which he said could cost Ontario 500,000 jobs, and called on the feds to back his “Fortress Am-Can” strategy to strengthen commerce with the U.S.