Canada’s Ontario premier threatens to cut energy exports to US over Trump’s tariff proposal

Doug Ford, the premier of Canada’s largest province, has warned that Ontario may cut energy exports to the United States in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25 percent tariffs.

Doug Ford issued the warning after a meeting of Canada’s provincial premiers that was hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy — going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin. I don’t want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontarians and Canadians as a whole,” Ford said after the meeting.

“We need to be ready. We need to be ready to fight. This fight is coming 100 percent on Jan. 20th or Jan. 21.”

Trump has threatened tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports on the first day of his presidency if the two countries don’t exercise better control over illegal immigration and drugs at their borders.

Ottawa has tried to reassure the incoming Trump administration with statistics that show an extremely low level of fentanyl and people trafficking occurring at the northern border of the U.S.

But heated rhetoric in recent days, with Trump trolling Trudeau on social media as the “governor” of a potential “51st” state has resonated in Ottawa ahead of the meeting of Trudeau and his provincial counterparts.

The comments by Ford, a plain-spoken conservative with his own populist touch, represented a dropping of the gloves from Canada against Trump.

Ford’s threat, if it were ever enacted, would carry serious consequences for both countries.

Canada supplies more crude oil to the U.S. than any other country, accounting for about 60 percent of all American imports.

The U.S. is the destination of 97 percent of Canada’s crude oil exports, according to Statistics Canada.

News.Az