Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith understands why Canada’s political leaders need to be united in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat, and he believes the country’s premiers are “moving her along” in her position.
The premiers met virtually with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday morning to talk about Trump’s early moves as president and the looming threat of tariffs, which could come as soon as next week.
Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing his government to study alleged unfair trade practices by Canada and Mexico and file a report by April 1.
Later that day, he mused about imposing 25 per cent tariffs on both countries by Feb. 1, calling Canada a “very bad abuser” for allowing illegal drugs and migrants to enter the U.S.
Canada has pushed back at Trump’s assertion with Trudeau saying Tuesday that less than one per cent of fentanyl or migrants entering the U.S. come from Canada.
Speaking to reporters in Toronto after the Wednesday meeting, Ford said the group wants to ensure Canada has a “solid plan.”
“We know these tariffs are coming Feb. 1. We need to match those tariffs dollar-for-dollar, tariff-for-tariff, and make sure that it hurts the Americans as much as it hurts Canadians,” he said.
The federal Liberal cabinet spent two days at a retreat this week hammering out the details of a plan to respond to the tariffs.
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Trump had been threatening since the November election to impose tariffs on his first day in office.
The shifts in Trump’s rhetoric and timelines are par for the course, Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday. He said his government has made plans for a variety of scenarios and is ready to implement retaliatory tariffs.
At their last gathering, which was held in-person in Ottawa last week, 12 of the 13 premiers signed a joint statement pledging to stand united in the face of the tariff threat.
Premier Smith was the lone outlier, saying she could not get on board with the “Team Canada” approach if the federal government refused to exempt energy exports from its possible retaliatory actions.
In the days since, she has further distanced herself from the group by meeting with U.S. lawmakers and calling for co-operation instead of retaliation.
On Wednesday, Ford said Smith “understands we need to be united, and I understand that she wants to protect her main commodity.”
“But country comes first, over anything, and you can’t throw a tool away from the tool box,” he added.
When asked whether Smith was now on-side with her colleagues, Ford said, “I think we’re moving her along.”
Smith posted on social media Wednesday afternoon to say that choking off or taxing oil exports to the U.S. “would be a disaster for Canada.”
She called for Canada to improve security at the border and boost defence spending.
When he initially threatened to impose the tariffs, Trump said they were a response to what he called inaction by Canada and Mexico on illegal drugs and migrants entering the U.S.
The federal government announced a $1.3-billion plan to boost security at the border in December, and this week the RCMP deployed two new helicopters to surveil the boundary.
But Trump also has said the tariffs are a way to put pressure on Canada over the United States’ trade deficit with this country.
Smith said Canada should work to address the trade imbalance.
“Let’s dial back the rhetoric and focus on negotiating solutions that benefit Canadians and Americans,” Smith wrote.
On Tuesday, Arlene Dickinson, the “Dragon’s Den” star and a member of the prime minister’s advisory council on Canada-U.S. relations, said she hoped Smith would come around.
“I think it’s incredibly important that we absolutely negotiate as one nation, together,” she told reporters at the cabinet retreat in Montebello, Que.
The first ministers have committed to weekly meetings now that Trump has been installed in the White House.
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