Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday suggested that Canada would drop its tariffs on U.S. goods if President Donald Trump eased up on his tariffs on Canadian goods.
During an appearance with CNBC’s Ross Sorkin, he stated that the impending tariff war is “just going to hurt American jobs” and that Trump “said he was going to create jobs, create wealth, reduce inflation.”
Sorkin asked whether Ford believed it was fair that Canada has “tariffs on a whole number of products.”
Ford replied, “And we’d be willing to take those off tomorrow if he took all the tariffs off” and suggested that “China is the problem.”
The host asked why Canada wouldn’t have these negotiations before Trump imposed his tariffs.
The premier responded:
Well, we've had this conversation for over the last month. We don't want tariffs. We have another $65 billion dollars with a tariff to launch today. That's the last thing we want to do because it's just, again, it's going to hurt both countries. It's going to hurt American workers. That's the last thing I want.
Ford further explained that the Trump administration “knows that we’re willing to take these tariffs off in the next minute, if he said he’s taking their tariffs off.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says they are willing to drop ALL tariffs against the U.S. if President Trump is willing to do the same. pic.twitter.com/aKbWiPXg8k
— Shermichael Singleton (@MrShermichael) April 2, 2025
Ford serves as the chair of Canada’s Council of the Federation of premiers. However, tariffs on some U.S. goods fall under the purview of the nation’s federal government, according to CP24.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has not yet revealed how exactly Canada will respond to Trump’s incoming “reciprocal” tariffs that are set to be announced at 4 p.m. The federal government has previously said it is prepared to move forward with tariffs on a total $155 billion worth of U.S. goods.
For Ontario’s part, the province has unleashed a number of retaliatory measures, including removing all American-made alcohol from LCBO shelves, banning U.S. companies from government procurement, and imposing, and then rescinding, a 25 tax on electricity sent south of the border.
Ford threatened to levy a surcharge on electricity going to three U.S. states in March as President Trump continued discussing tariffs. Trump responded by threatening to double the tariffs he had already placed on Canadian products.
Ford released a statement earlier in the day explaining that he and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick “had a productive conversation about the economic relationship between the United States and Canada” and that he would cancel the planned surcharge.
Trump declared that his administration would impose the planned tariffs on multiple nations on April 2, dubbed “Liberation Day.” This development could indicate that his plan to leverage tariffs for more favorable trade considerations might be working. Reports that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum will not put retaliatory tariffs in place.
JUST IN: 🇲🇽🇺🇸 Mexican President Sheinbaum concedes to President Trump and says she will not impose tit-for-tat tariffs on the United States. pic.twitter.com/5JCag41N6W
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) April 2, 2025
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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