This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted exclusively to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Premier Doug Ford further fuelled election speculation on Wednesday by saying he’d have to “put tens of billions of dollars” into the economy if the incoming United States president hits Canada with prolonged tariffs — but that he currently doesn’t have the electoral mandate to do that.
“These tariffs are coming,” Ford said at a press conference on Wednesday morning, where he pitched better integration of the energy and electricity grid with the United States.
“Are they going to come like they did last time for five or six weeks? That's one thing. But if they last for months and months, we're going to have to do the same thing as what we did during the pandemic,” the premier said.
“I'm going to have to put tens of billions of dollars into the economy, to save the economy, to protect Canadian, Ontario jobs. And I don't have a mandate from the people to spend tens of billions of dollars.”
His comments come as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to enter the White House on Jan. 20, armed with the threat of slapping a 25-per-cent tariff on all Canadian products, and a day after Trump said he’d be open to using “economic force” to compel Canada into joining the U.S.
They also follow the announcement on Monday from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he would step down as party leader and as prime minister once a new Liberal leader is selected, and that the federal Parliament would be prorogued until March 24.
Speaking to reporters after the prime minister’s announcement, Ford called on Trudeau to “continue doing his job” and stay focused on fighting the U.S. tariff threat. Trudeau is scheduled to meet with Canada’s premiers on Jan. 15.
But the premier would not rule out calling a provincial election during the federal prorogation.
“Well, I can tell you, my main focus is these tariffs,” he said on Monday when asked to rule out calling an election during that time.
Opposition parties came out swinging against the premier’s remarks on Wednesday and his suggestion of needing a mandate to spend billions.
“That’s just a load of hooey,” according to Liberal MPP John Fraser.
“Doug Ford has one of the strongest majorities in Ontario history,” he told reporters in the Queen’s Park media studio after Ford’s comments. “The reason that Doug Ford wants an election is not for Ontario families, is not to get a consensus on people — it's so that he will get a longer mandate.”
NDP leader Marit Stiles said Ontarians “don’t need the instability of an election right now.”
“But if Ford wants to go, we’re ready,” she said in a statement.
Stiles said she’s taking Trump’s threats seriously and is “ready to work with anyone, including the premier, if it means we don’t lose a single job in key industries like auto, dairy and forestry.”
Fraser called on Ford to recall the legislature and create an all-party committee to address the threat of tariffs, similar to the all-hands-on-deck approach during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And I heard the premier mentioned COVID in his remarks this morning, and I'm encouraged by that, in the sense that it sounds like he wants to work together, but the proof will be in the pudding,” Fraser said.
Standing alongside Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce at the Darlington nuclear facility, Ford touted a provincial plan to boost “Am-Can energy security and power economic growth” in both Canada and the U.S.
He said this was a “cornerstone of fortress Am-Can,” framed as a renewed alliance between the two countries.
While the province powers 1.5 million homes in the U.S., Ford said there’s more than can be done.
“Fortress Am-Can should be powered by Am-Can energy of every type that’s produced, consumed and creates jobs in every region of both countries,” he said.
He called for the creation of cross-border working groups with Canadian and U.S. lawmakers and experts to align regulations and get rid of red tape for building energy infrastructure, as well as to ensure both countries are following best practices to protect against cyber attacks, foreign interference or weather-related concerns when it comes to power systems.
Ford also asked the federal government to speed up approval of “new small, modular and large nuclear reactors.”
The province also wants to see a boost to the province’s production of “cancer-fighting medical isotopes at Ontario’s growing fleet of nuclear reactors.”
Trump has called on Canada to boost security at the borders and crack down on illegal drug trafficking.
Ontario announced “Operation Deterrence” on Tuesday, which would include an emergency response team of 200 Ontario Provincial Police officers and other “front-line and specialty officers.” The federal government has promised its own measures, including 24/7 surveillance, the use of drones and helicopters and a joint “strike force” to address organized crime.
Ford, who spoke with other premiers on a call on Wednesday afternoon, stressed that the two countries can achieve more by working together and slammed Trump’s idea of Canada becoming part of the U.S.
“Let's stop wasting time on ridiculous ideas about merging and instead focus on efforts on restoring the pride of made-in-Canada and made-in USA,” he said, adding in response to a question that the governors and members of Congress he’s spoken with don’t agree with Trump’s proposals.
“Our country is not for sale. It will never be for sale,” he said.
