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Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would cut off energy to the U.S. if President-elect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on Canadian products.
Ford's comments come after Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tax on imports from Canada and Mexico unless they halt the flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S.
“We're going to put our list together, and I'm sure the other provinces will as well. But we will go to the full extent, depending on how far this goes. We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy,” Ford said Wednesday (December 11) following a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other provincial premiers.
Ford noted that he doesn't want to make the move, but he's not confident that Canada will avoid tariffs.
“This fight is 100% coming on Jan. 20 or Jan. 21,” he said, referencing Trump's inauguration date. “We will use every tool in our tool box to fight back. We can’t sit back and roll over. We just won’t as a country. And isn’t this a shame, our closest friends and allies."
According to reports, roughly 60 percent of the nation's crude oil imports and 85 percent of electricity imports come from Canada.
It's unclear if Ford was referring to all Canadian provinces cutting off energy to the U.S. or just his province. Grace Lee, a spokesperson for Ford, said the issue was raised during the meeting with Trudeau and other provincial premiers. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, reportedly powered 1.5 million U.S. homes last year and is a major exporter of electricity to Michigan, Minnesota, and New York.
“Premier Ford can only speak on behalf of Ontario, but its an area of provincial jurisdiction that we would certainly look at,” Lee said in a statement.
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