A prorogued Parliament and snap provincial election have somehow become the least of Ontario's worries as residents of the province and country at large look ahead to the potentially devastating tariffs that will be implemented at the U.S. border in just a day's time.
The federal, provincial and municipal governments are all in fervent damage control mode, announcing various steps to help band Canada together and support our own economy.
Premier Doug Ford has been one of the most outspoken against President Donald Trump's moves against what has been the U.S.'s "closest friend and treasured ally since 1867," brandishing his now-famous "Canada is not for sale" hat and symbolically feeding a sign reading "tariffs" into a crushing machine at a press conference over the weekend.
Ford reiterated his stance on the eve of the levies coming into effect, speaking in Etobicoke Monday morning to say he is "so disappointed" in Trump for "walking away from a trading relationship that has for decades made life better for workers on both sides of the border."
"Canada has no choice but to hit back, and hit back hard," he said. "As Premier of Ontario, the federal government has my full support for a strong and forceful response."
At the provincial level, Ford's team has outlined what that response, coming in the form of funding, will look like.
An eight-point plan to protect Ontario businesses and their workers, released Monday, includes provincial tax breaks for businesses, special assistance for border areas impacted more severely by the tariffs, an increased LCBO wholesale discount to help bars and restaurants, increases to the Invest Ontario fund and Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit, and more.
This is in addition to removing all American products from LCBO shelves, cancelling the Province's $100 million deal with Elon Musk's Starlink and banning U.S. companies from all other provincial contracts, plus the retaliatory tariffs and other measures announced by the feds and the City of Toronto.
The premier did admit today, though, that despite all efforts, "there's no sugar coating it: the coming days and weeks will be incredibly difficult. Trump's tariffs are going to devastate our economy and will put up to 450,000 jobs at risk from every sector in every region. No one will be immune, everyone will feel the impact."
But, he vowed to protect Ontario and invest whatever is necessary to mitigate the blow, starting with the full list of subsidies and supports released on the Ontario Progressive Conservative campaign page today, which reads as follows:
Ontario PC Party
Join the conversation Load comments