Proposed U.S. tariffs could cost up to 500K Ontario jobs, Doug Ford says | Globalnews.ca

Ontario officials estimate that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canadian goods could cost up to half a million jobs, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday as he called for stronger and more visible action from the federal government.

The actual number of Ontario jobs affected by the 25 per cent tariffs Trump has vowed to impose on Canadian goods will depend on which sectors are targeted, Ford said, adding his government’s ministries have told him it could be between 450,000 and 500,000.

“This is serious,” Ford told a press conference. “It’s unprecedented.”

All 13 premiers are set to meet Wednesday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the tariff threat. Ford said that with inauguration day less than a week away, a plan for how to respond to the tariffs should have been finalized by now.

“I’m going to be blunt: they need to get their act together,” Ford said. “Simple as that. It shouldn’t be up to the premiers to be calling for a followup, in-person meeting. This should have happened a while ago, and we need to work as Team Canada. We can’t have a divided Canada. We have to make sure we all stick together and we’re all singing off the same song sheet.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who recently visited with Trump in Florida, has cautioned the federal government against blocking energy exports to the U.S. in response to tariffs, while Ford has said all options should be on the table.

One of the reasons Trump has cited for imposing tariffs is the state of border security. While Ottawa has pledged $1.3 billion to tackle the issue, Ford said it’s not moving quickly enough.

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“We need the federal government to step up with a solid plan for securing our border, and to make sure they get their two per cent NATO commitment,” Ford said, referring to Canada’s defence spending.

“We heard a number thrown out there, $1.3 billion for our border protection. I have yet to see anything, nothing at all,” Ford said, adding that federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty “needs to come out of hiding” and publicly lay out Ottawa’s plan.

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Ford unveils new attempts to dissuade Trump from growing threats

Ford is set to meet Tuesday afternoon with Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

The premier also has said he may need to spend tens of billions of dollars in response to the effects of the tariffs in Ontario, and has suggested he is thinking about calling an early election in order to put that type of stimulus spending to voters.

He did not indicate the timing he may have in mind, but did say he believes Trump may try to “slow roll” the tariffs.

In a social media post on Tuesday, though, Trump pledged to create an external revenue service on inauguration day to start collecting “tariffs, duties and all revenue that come from foreign sources.”

“We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share. January 20, 2025, will be the birth date of the External Revenue Service. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in the post.

It was not clear how such a department would work. The U.S. secretary of the treasury establishes regulations and Customs and Border Protection collects applicable tariffs at U.S. ports of entry. The creation of such a department likely would require approval from Congress.

Still, the Truth Social post is another indication that Trump intends to impose the sweeping tariffs when he takes office next week.

Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper said he has “a real problem” with the things Trump has been saying about the trade relationship.

In an interview with an American podcaster released on Monday, Harper swatted down Trump’s claim that the U.S. is subsidizing Canada, attributing the “modest trade surplus” to the fact that the U.S. buys so much Canadian oil and gas at a discount to world markets.

“It’s actually Canada that subsidizes the United States in this regard,” he said.

Harper said the shared defence of North America through Norad is also not a subsidy. “The United States does that because it’s in the vital interest of the United States,” he said. “Do you want Canada to be a neutral country?”

He also said there’s no major flow of migrants into the U.S. from Canada, while calling the Biden administration’s policy on the southern border “disgraceful.”

“I’m gonna tell you right now: drugs, guns, crime — most of those things flow north, not south,” Harper said.

— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington

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