Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off energy to U.S. in response to Trump's tariffs

Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut off energy supply to the U.S. in response to the tariffs President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose on all Canadian imports.

“We will go to the full extent depending how far this goes. We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy, going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin,” Ford told reporters following his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other premiers on Wednesday.

“I don't want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontarians and Canadians as a whole.”

• Download our app to get alerts on your device

Canada is considered the largest source of U.S. energy imports. When asked to elaborate on what he meant, Ford played coy, saying he’ll wait to see what will happen moving forward.

“We'll use every tool in our toolbox, including cutting them off energy that we're sending down there,” he added.

“Folks, this is coming, it's not, if it is, it's coming and it's coming January 20th or 21st. And we need to be prepared. We need to stand as a country. We need to stand united as Canadians and work hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues across the country and, and we're ready to do it.”

Speaking about the meeting, the premier said it was constructive and the federal government presented a plan that addressed border issues -- something Trump cited as one of the reasons why he plans to impose the 25 per cent tariff.

“They have a plan but there's one thing to have a plan, then we have to implement it,” Ford said.