Ontario Premier Doug Ford is continuing to call on the federal government to match U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods “dollar for dollar,” if a new trade deal isn’t reached by a Friday deadline, telling reporters that any response should also include an identical 50 per cent levy on U.S. aluminum and steel.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a higher 35 per cent tariff on many Canadian goods as of Aug. 1.
The higher tariff would come into effect less than two months after the U.S. doubled tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50 per cent on June 4, dealing a significant blow to Canada’s steel industry in the process.
“We are working on Aug. 1 and we will see what comes from that. But I have always taken the approach dollar-for-dollar and tariff-for-tariff,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park on Monday as he discussed the ongoing negotiations. “If he (Trump) wants to attack our hard working steel workers and aluminum workers then we have to meet that 50 per cent tariff.”
The U.S. reached a new trade deal with the European Union over the weekend but the pact still includes a 15 per cent across the board tariff on most European goods.
A separate trade deal reached with Japan last week also included a 15 per cent tariff.
During Monday’s media availability, Ford was asked whether it was still realistic to think there is a deal out there that would remove all tariffs on Canadian goods given the agreements the U.S. had reached so far with other trading partners.
“I really hope so for the sake of Canadians and Americans. We are so integrated,” he said. “I use Japan as an example. They buy $79 billion of (U.S.) products. We (Canada) buy $359 billion of products. You can’t treat your number one customer the same as your whatever, fifth largest customer for example. We are different, we are unique and we are so intertwined, our economies.”
Few details are known about the ongoing negotiations with the U.S., however Prime Minister Carney did tell reporters on Monday that talks had reached “an intense phase.”
Ford said that while he is “never confident with President Trump,” he is “confident” that Carney is “doing his very best to get a deal.”
Ford, however, said that Canada needs “free and fair trade” with the U.S.
“If he (Trump) wants to attack our steel industry, our aluminum industry, other industries we need to hit him back,” he warned.
