WASHINGTON − Ontario Premier Doug Ford clapped back at President Donald Trump on Tuesday after he responded to the province’s new surcharge on electricity for American consumers with higher steel and aluminum tariffs.
Ford, the elected leader of Ontario – akin to an American governor − told MSNBC that Trump had launched an “unprovoked attack” on Canada when he jacked up tariffs that are set to go into effect on Wednesday.
“We will not back down. We will be relentless. I apologize to the American people that President Trump decided to have an unprovoked attack on our country, on families, on jobs. And it’s unacceptable,” Ford said.
The latest round of fighting came after the Canadian politician said Ontario would impose fees on electricity exports to roughly 1.5 million consumers in Minnesota, Michigan and New York. He said the surcharge would add roughly $69 a month to Americans’ bills.
Ford moved ahead with the fees in spite of a one-month delay in Trump’s broader slate of tariffs on Canada. Those are now scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of April.
Steel and aluminum tariffs that Trump said he’d impose on every nation are separately due to kick in on Wednesday. Trump said he’d double the planned 25% tariff to 50% for Canada in a social media post that ripped the allied nation.
Ford implored the American people and the CEOs of U.S. businesses to speak up on Tuesday.
“Stop the chaos. It’s hurting American families. It’s hurting Canadian families,” he told Trump in his TV interview. “There’s uncertainty. And the markets dislike uncertainty. So do business, so do investors, so do people.”