Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday he is now convinced the federal government has a “phenomenal” plan to secure the Canada-U.S. border in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threat – although he gave no details on this plan.
Trump has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Canada. The US president-elect initially said the tariffs would be a response to what he called Canada’s inaction on drugs and migrants crossing the shared border.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc in Toronto on Tuesday, Ford was full of praise for LeBlanc and his “strong, solid plan.” He urged federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty to “go out and present the plan to the Canadian public.”
LeBlanc, who previously announced a six-year, $1.3 billion plan to secure the border, said he told Ford the money would allow the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency to use long-range drones and surveillance towers and create a joint air command. , hire more officers and deploy 80 canine units to search for fentanyl. He did not reveal any new measures, timetables or specific costs.
LeBlanc said he also presented these measures to key members of the Trump team when they met in Florida — although that didn’t convince Trump to back down.
Prime Minister Ford started the day by castigating the Liberal government on the border issue.
“I’ll be frank: they need to get their act together. Simple as that,” Ford said Tuesday morning.
Ford said Ontario officials have estimated the proposed tariffs on Canadian products could cost his province up to half a million jobs.
“It’s serious,” he said. “This is unprecedented.”
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LeBlanc said the federal government has done its own modeling of the national impact of the tariffs, but would not share those numbers.
“We are not going to speculate on different scenarios. Next week we expect to know the precise details of what these tariffs will mean for the Canadian economy and we will be prepared, of course, to respond from a position of strength and, we hope, as a united country,” said -he.
LeBlanc said unity will be the message when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with the country’s premiers on Wednesday.
The federal cabinet is also scheduled to meet for a two-day retreat starting Jan. 20, Inauguration Day and the day Trump announced his tariffs would take effect.
In a social media post Tuesday, Trump pledged to create a “Foreign Revenue Service” to begin collecting “tariffs, taxes and all revenues from foreign sources.”
“We will start charging those who make money from trading, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share. January 20, 2025 will be the date of birth of the External Revenue Service. LET’S MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Trump said in the message.
It is unclear how such a department would operate. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury establishes regulations, and Customs and Border Protection collects applicable tariffs at U.S. ports of entry. Creating such a department would likely require congressional approval.
LeBlanc said he and Ford discussed the possibility of traveling to Washington next week, or visiting the border, once the Trump administration’s plans are clear.
He stressed the need for prime ministers and the federal government to work together to defend Canada’s economy.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who recently visited Trump in Florida, warned the federal government against blocking energy exports to the United States in response to tariffs, while Ford said all options should be on the table.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, speaking at an event in Toronto on Tuesday, said Canada needs to organize itself to export its essential oil, gas and minerals to other markets.
“By the way, we have other markets, because energy means economic security and economic security in this world is national security,” he said.
He also said the “Team Canada” approach hasn’t been as successful this time as it was under the first Trump administration, adding that he tried to encourage a multi-party approach.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he had “a real problem” with Trump’s comments.
In an interview with an American podcaster published Monday, Harper rejected Trump’s claim that the United States subsidizes Canada, attributing the “modest trade surplus” to the fact that the United States buys a large amount of oil and Canadian gases at a discount to world markets.
“It’s actually Canada that is subsidizing the United States in this regard,” he said.
Harper said the shared defense of North America through NORAD is also not a subsidy. “The United States is doing this because it is in its vital interest,” he said. “Do you want Canada to be a neutral country? »
He also said there was no major flow of migrants into the United States from Canada, while calling the Biden administration’s policy on the southern border “shameful.”
“I’ll tell you right now: drugs, guns, crime – most of these things flow north, not south,” Harper said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published January 14, 2025.
— With the files of Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington
© 2025 The Canadian Press