Ontario Premier Doug Ford is once again warning of retaliatory measures as the U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to impose tariffs on several countries, including Canada, leading to a single large-scale escalation in the ongoing trade war.
Trump is calling the day ‘Liberation Day’ with tariffs expected to be placed on Canadian imports, in an attempt to restore America’s economy.
Trump has yet to clarify what those tariffs could look like, when they will come into effect, what sectors will be impacted, and how much they will be, but Ford has repeatedly said Ontario is ready to respond “dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff.”
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“Yes, we’re gonna retaliate, we’re gonna retaliate appropriately but hard,” Ford said, while speaking with NBC News on Tuesday.
President Trump calls tomorrow Liberation Day. I call it Termination Day.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 1, 2025
Tariffs are absolute job killers. Millions of Americans’ livelihoods will be put at risk. pic.twitter.com/JqXLlYMHoD
Ford says that the tariffs will ultimately hurt Americans just as much as it hurts Canadians, and warns that people will be laid off and assembly lines will be shut down.
“I don’t call it liberation day for Americans, I call it termination day,” he said. “You can’t just cut off your largest customer in the world, and that’s Canada.”
Ford says that although the full scope of the tariffs have not yet been announced, Ontario is prepared for anything.
“We’re prepared, we have additional $65 billion of retaliatory tariffs on the table… It’s the last thing we want to do, but we just aren’t going to roll over,” he said.
Talks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick have taken place in regards to what Canada should expect during Wednesday’s tariff rollout, but Lutnick is unaware of Trump’s plans according to Ford.
“I’m not too sure how the administration is handling this, sometimes I wonder do they really not know, or are they simply just blowing smoke?” he said.
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In response to Ford’s recent interview, social media users have been applauding the premier for his consistent defence of Canada and Ontario.
“Thank you for standing up to Trump’s tariffs Doug Ford,” an X user said.
“It is not rational or strategic to decouple economically from Canada. These tariffs on Canada are self-defeating. Well said, Premier Ford,” another user said.
Ford has previously said that Ontario will hike energy prices by 25 per cent for customers in New York, Michigan, and Minnesota, but rescinded those threats and has not mentioned if it is still an option.
“The reason we did that is I wanna bring the temperature down… the only thing acceptable is zero tariffs,” he said.
During a campaign stop on Tuesday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney also says that there are measures Canada can take that could level the playing field with the U.S.
“We will not disadvantage Canadian producers and Canadian workers, relative to Canadian workers,” Carney said.
Trump is expected to unveil his next round of tariffs Wednesday afternoon.
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