AP
Toronto
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that Ronald Reagan would be “throwing up” over President Donald Trump’s trade policies and threatened to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the United States if the escalating Canada-US trade fight worsens.
Ford said Trump has underestimated Canadians’ willingness to endure economic pain rather than give in to US pressure.
“He underestimates Canada. We’re all in,” Ford said. “Up here, we’re at a fever pitch, everyone’s in for an economic war. They know they’re going to have to sacrifice.”
Ford said Trump had “declared war, economic war against his closest friend and ally” before turning to Reagan, whose opposition to tariffs Ford previously featured in a television advertising campaign aimed at Americans.
Ford noted that Trump keeps a portrait of Reagan near his desk. Reagan was a strong advocate of free trade and repeatedly warned that protectionist tariffs could trigger retaliation and hurt American consumers and workers.
“He’d be throwing up on him from the picture if he knew what was going on, spinning around in his grave right now,” Ford said. “He should maybe take that picture off the wall and move it somewhere else. Because right now, Ronald Reagan would be disgusted with President Trump.”
Ford’s comments came after Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from trade negotiations with the Trump administration late Friday, saying Washington demanded too much in exchange for tariff relief.
The United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs Saturday on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, while Carney announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning Sept 8.
Trump escalated the dispute again Monday, threatening to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian automobiles, auto parts and steel starting next year.
“Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years,” Trump wrote on social media Monday morning.
Criticising what he called Canada’s “ridiculously high tariffs” on American farmers, Trump added: “Not sustainable, and Not Anymore!”
Ford said “everything is on the table” if the dispute worsens, including cutting off electricity and critical minerals from Ontario. He also called for Canada to consider using oil and potash as leverage.
“I’ll cut them off,” Ford said of critical minerals. “You won’t get a grain of sand out of Ontario.”
Critical minerals are increasingly important to US national security and manufacturing. The Pentagon has sought more secure supplies of minerals used in military aircraft, missiles, munitions and electronics as Washington tries to reduce reliance on China, which dominates the mining or processing of several strategically important minerals.
Ford specifically cited high-grade nickel shipped to the United States and uranium refined in Ontario.
“What would they do without the high-grade nickel that we ship down to the US?” Ford said.
Ford said Canada should consider increasingly severe retaliation if Trump continues targeting Canadian industries, including oil and potash, while Ontario could raise electricity prices or stop sending power south.
“We power 1.5 million homes and businesses,” Ford said. “Everything’s on the table. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
If Trump continues trying to dismantle Canadian manufacturing, Ford said, “he better have a pack of batteries.”
Ford has used electricity as leverage before. During an earlier phase of the dispute, Ontario imposed a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exported to Michigan, Minnesota and New York. Trump responded by threatening to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum before both sides backed away.
