Premier Doug Ford says he stands by Prime Minister Mark Carney and his decision to walk away from what he said was a “bad deal” for Ontario’s auto and steel sector.
“I’m glad he didn’t sign that deal because it was a bad deal,” Ford said Saturday, noting the Prime Minister was in “difficult position” but gave him credit for walking away from the trade talks.
“I thought it was a terrible deal and I was very clear with the Prime Minister, once you make these deals they can last for years and years and go into decades.”
Ford acknowledged that the new tariffs will be painful but he pointed to a “strong, vibrant and diversified economy” in Ontario, citing recent numbers that showed over 50,000 new jobs were created in the province over the last four months.
Without getting into specifics, Ford says the provincial government will be there to support those workers who will be affected by the new tariffs
“We need to support these sectors, we have to make sure that they’re viable, not for the short term but for the long term, and I’m confident after speaking to CEO’s of the auto sector, auto part manufacturers, Unifor, the unions, and the steel CEOs …we are in a strong position.”
Ford went on to urge the rest of the premiers to “stick together” and continue with the Team Canada approach when it comes to dealing with the Trump administration, which he said can’t be trusted.
“We have to use every tool in our tool box to make sure as Donald Trump is trying to inflict pain on every Canadian, that we inflict pain right back,” he said.
Ford did not pass on the opportunity to take another swipe at Trump, saying he can’t be trusted while likening him to a school-yard bully who steals someone’s lunch money, toque and running shoes.
“We never started this fight but I can assure you, we’re going to win this fight.”
