Ontario Premier Doug Ford will start tariffs directed at the United States on Monday, unless President Trump's threat of a trade war with Canada comes to an end.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Premier Ford, thank you for spending a few minutes with us.
00:04We appreciate it.
00:05Well, thank you so much, Ed, for coming to our great city, Toronto.
00:10What is your understanding of where things stand with this new tariff war?
00:15Well, there's uncertainty right now.
00:17You know, nothing's worse than uncertainty for investors, for people, for the market.
00:24And all I believe is we should sit down and relook at the USMCA deal that, by the way,
00:33President Trump created.
00:34And he said it was the greatest deal ever.
00:36So let's fix it.
00:37And let's grow our economy together.
00:40Let's build an Amcan fortress and two greatest countries in the world to be stronger and
00:47richer and wealthier and more prosperous.
00:51That's what we need to do.
00:52And they're two greatest friends, greatest allies.
00:54I always start every interview, I love the Americans.
00:57I've spent 20 years of my life in the US and Chicago and New Jersey.
01:02And I know all Canadians love Americans.
01:05I know Americans love Canadians.
01:07I've talked to many people, governors, senators, congressmen and women, and even Republicans
01:14behind closed doors are telling me this is the craziest thing they've ever seen.
01:18And they don't know which is the next move for President Trump.
01:23The only person that knows is President Trump.
01:26Yeah.
01:27There's talk, and by the time this interview is over, for all we know, he may announce
01:31that there'll be a one month reprieve for anything that's manufactured and moved around
01:36under USMCA.
01:37Yes.
01:38That's virtually everything in Ontario, right?
01:40For the most part.
01:41There are a few items.
01:42But again, he said that before.
01:45And he switched his mind a few days later or a week later.
01:49So once I touch a stove and I get burnt once, I don't touch that stove again.
01:54He needs to drop all tariffs.
01:55We need to sit down, all three countries, and work out the USMCA deal.
02:01And somehow, all Mexican goods, for now at least, are exempt.
02:05So Mexico's getting out of this.
02:07Yes.
02:08Canada isn't.
02:09Why do you think he's- what's he got against Canada?
02:12I'm not too sure you'd have to ask President Trump this.
02:15But I'll tell you, we're the number one customer.
02:17We buy more goods than anyone in the world, more than Mexico.
02:21We buy over 400% more cars off the US than Mexico, 200% more than any other country in
02:27the world.
02:28We're two of the greatest nations in the world.
02:31Let's build.
02:32I always say, when it comes to the auto sector, you can't unscramble an egg that's been around
02:35since 1960, the auto pack.
02:38Let's create a larger omelet.
02:40That's what we need to do.
02:42You had a conversation this week with the Commerce Secretary of the United States, Howard
02:46Lutnick.
02:47Yes.
02:48Our understanding is he got a little salty.
02:49Well, I don't call it salty.
02:51First of all, Secretary Lutnick is an extremely smart individual.
02:57And I just asked him, you see that the markets tumble, that's his area of expertise.
03:03We have to put an end to this.
03:04This is mass chaos right now around North America, and actually around the world.
03:09Everyone's watching.
03:10The two closest friends and allies have a trade war.
03:15It's unacceptable.
03:16So we need to get down to the brass tacks, sit down, and start hammering out this deal.
03:22He asked you to basically call off all the retaliatory tariffs on the United States?
03:27To a certain degree.
03:28And you told him?
03:29No.
03:30And he didn't like that?
03:31Well, I can't really answer if he didn't like it.
03:34I'm sure he didn't.
03:35But you know something?
03:36I feel we can make a deal with the president and Secretary Lutnick.
03:42And the thing that's ironic, and we may disagree on many things with President Trump, there's
03:47no doubt this guy's a hard negotiator.
03:50He's obviously a smart business person, and so is Secretary Lutnick.
03:55But he underestimated the resilience and the strength of the Canadian people.
04:00And the American people, which I absolutely love, they just kind of didn't wake up.
04:05That's the wrong word.
04:06But really, it came to their attention three days ago when all heck was breaking loose.
04:10The market dropped $3 trillion, and their assembly lines would close.
04:15He ran on a mandate to create jobs and lower inflation, and it's worked totally opposite.
04:20So he needs to straighten this out.
04:22And it's one person.
04:23That's President Trump.
04:24I heard you use the word war.
04:26You think this is a war?
04:27It's an economic war that he's declared on his closest friends.
04:32And for what reason?
04:35That's what we need to know.
04:36I have an idea what the reason is.
04:38He needs the $4.5 trillion for his tax cuts, and that's fine.
04:44But I believe you get more revenue by having a stronger economy, employing more people,
04:50more companies coming that will create strength and more dollars up to the coffers of Washington.
04:59And let's focus on the real problem.
05:02The real problem right now is China.
05:05They want to take American and Canadian jobs.
05:08So that's what we have to focus on.
05:10As we're going back and forth, China is just growing and growing, creating more opportunities
05:16in critical minerals.
05:17We have all the critical minerals.
05:18We have the largest critical mineral deposits in the world right across the border.
05:24And who do I want to give them to?
05:26I want to give them to our closest neighbors, the United States.
05:29In response to what started earlier this week, you threatened to cut off electricity
05:34to a big chunk of the United States.
05:36Well, you know something, I have a great relationship with the governors in New York and Michigan
05:43and Minnesota.
05:44I just got off the phone yesterday with Governor Walz, and what a gentleman he is.
05:50And I'm going to put a 25% tariff on electricity, the 1.5 million homes and businesses, as of
05:57Monday until President Trump drops these tariffs.
06:01That's the last thing I want to do.
06:03It's the last thing.
06:05But he has to understand that he can't attack our country economically and expect us to
06:11roll over.
06:12So 25% tariff starts Monday, unless this war ends before then.
06:17That's right.
06:18Yes.
06:19Which means American electric bills in the upper Midwest and the Northeast, the Middle
06:22Atlantic are going up.
06:23That's right.
06:24We're seeing already with gas prices in the Northeast, gas prices are going to go up again.
06:31People eventually, the assembly lines, if he continues April 2nd, will shut down within
06:36five days.
06:37Auto parts go back and forth across the border up to eight times before it gets assembled
06:41in Ontario or Michigan or other states.
06:45And for what?
06:46He's created an absolute mess, and we need to clean it up and stop it immediately and
06:52move forward.
06:55Is the President of the United States bullying Canada?
06:59Well, I don't know if it's calling bullying.
07:02There's one rule I have.
07:04I never get personal with someone.
07:06Do I think his policies are backwards right now?
07:10100%.
07:11He's created more turmoil than we've seen ever, even more than the pandemic.
07:15Believe the pandemic, the whole world was involved.
07:18Now he's just targeting country after country.
07:21It's unfortunate.
07:23Let's sit down and get this deal done, and let's go back to having two great nations.
07:28See, Canadians look at Americans as part of the family.
07:32They've been part of the family for over 200 years.
07:35Let's continue that great relationship of working together and standing shoulder to
07:41shoulder in crisis.
07:42Now, last I checked, you're a conservative.
07:45Yes, I am.
07:46You celebrated President Trump's victory in November.
07:50I thought he'd do a great job.
07:53Man, was I wrong.
07:56And I'm the first to admit, I was wrong.
07:58Even though I don't play a role in the U.S. elections, but I thought, okay, someone that
08:06believes in cutting taxes like I do, looking for waste, reducing the size and cost of government,
08:13I thought that was good.
08:14But then what happened?
08:15Oh, then he stabbed us.
08:17That's it.
08:18That's the word.
08:19I hate to use it, but that's exactly what happened.
08:23There's a lot of people, and in the U.S. as well, by the way, and Canada, they feel like
08:29he let them down.
08:31He really let them down.
08:32And it's unfortunate.
08:34But let's repair this relationship, and let's move forward.
08:40And I always say, I don't care about political stripes.
08:44You mentioned I'm a conservative, but you know, I work with liberals, I work with the
08:49New Democratic Party, I have incredible relationships across the aisle.
08:55So I look at, I'm more for the party of the people than I am, per se, a conservative.
09:04One of the things the President has suggested, one of the reasons he's doing this is because
09:09of his concerns with illegal drugs flowing into the United States, and Canada perhaps
09:15not stopping it from getting in there.
09:17Does Canada have a fentanyl problem?
09:19Well, I think one gram of fentanyl is too much.
09:22I hate drugs.
09:24And so when he said, tighten up the border, we listened to him.
09:28We put 10,000 people along the borders, including state, I call it state police, provincial
09:35police.
09:37And now, I think the report last week, there was a half an ounce of fentanyl, in my opinion,
09:44it's too much.
09:45But you compare it to the Mexican border, night and day.
09:48But they also gave me a report showing me that hundreds of kilos of cocaine they caught
09:53coming to the northern border, and guns, and illegals, and all sorts of fentanyl, and pills,
10:00and opioids.
10:01Going north as opposed to going south.
10:02That's right.
10:03And I agree, we have to tighten up the border.
10:06I've met with the DEA in my office here, along with the Canadian Border Patrol, with
10:11the RCMP, OPP, we've met with everyone.
10:16And I've asked them, let's work together, which we do, by the way, and let's tighten
10:20up the border.
10:21Because one gram of any drug is unacceptable.
10:25So we've done that.
10:26But if I'm hearing you, you're saying cocaine, illegal guns, and fentanyls going north, maybe
10:31that the American border needs sealing.
10:32Yeah, well, I think we work together, and they do.
10:35The Canadian Border Patrol, U.S. Border Patrol, the federal government, federal police, RCMP,
10:42state police, or provincial police, OPP, everyone's working together.
10:46We've sent teams down there to coordinate.
10:49So we've spent over $1.5 billion as a country.
10:53We're buying everything from helicopters, to fixed wing aircraft, to boats, to boots
11:00on the ground.
11:01And our provincial police are doing the exact same thing.
11:05We call it Operation Deterrence, and it's working.
11:08But that aside, because we are getting a handle on that, let's focus on people's livelihoods.
11:17Let me have you level set with the American people, because the economies are so integrated,
11:22they may not realize what's coming from up here and heading south.
11:25What is it that Canada has that the U.S. can't get on its own?
11:29Well, I'll tell you, I wouldn't say it can't get on its own, but I'll tell you some of
11:33the major ones.
11:35I'd be here till tomorrow listing everything.
11:38But let's start from the West, British Columbia.
11:43They have critical minerals that no one has except them.
11:47And then Alberta ships 4.3 million barrels a day.
11:52That's over 1.2 billion barrels a year to support the U.S. economy.
11:58If the prime minister put a 25% tariff on top of his 10%, the cost of gas would go up
12:05over a dollar a gallon.
12:07People lose their minds.
12:09And if you move over to Saskatchewan, uranium, they're the largest supplier of uranium in
12:14the world, next to Russia.
12:17And I don't know, well, maybe you might get it off Russia now.
12:19He's closing up with Putin.
12:21But in saying that, the uranium goes over to Port Hope, Ontario here and gets refined.
12:26And then it goes to the U.S. to get enriched, not for your weapons, but for your nuclear
12:31power.
12:32And then they have potash in Saskatchewan, 87% of potash, and people don't know potash
12:37is basically fertilizer.
12:39It all goes down to the U.S. farmers to help the farmers.
12:43You cut any of these three items off, it'd be a disaster.
12:46Then we come to Ontario.
12:47We have the largest deposit of nickel in the world, but it's high-grade nickel.
12:54China has cornered the market on nickel.
12:56You have two choices.
12:57You deal with China, that's cut the U.S. off on any critical mineral that they're going
13:03to use on their military or on their aerospace.
13:07So over 50%, actually, they gave me an update, probably 60% of high-grade nickel, we ship
13:13down to the U.S.
13:15I spoke to the CEO of that company, I said, we're going to stockpile this.
13:20And then we have just the sheer economic power of Ontario.
13:27If we were a standalone country, we'd be the third largest trading partner in the world,
13:32Ontario alone, to the U.S.
13:34We do over 500 billion Canadian in two-way trade, split equally down the center.
13:40We buy as many cars as we ship in, and the ones that we ship down, 50% of them are U.S.
13:46parts.
13:47And we have the largest critical mineral deposit in the entire world.
13:52So let's ship that down.
13:53Then you have Quebec.
13:54And then you have a whole list of Ontario, but let's move to Quebec.
13:58Aluminum.
13:59The U.S. needs aluminum to keep manufacturing going.
14:03Well, they only produce 16%.
14:05A massive chunk, over 67%, comes from Quebec.
14:11Steel as well, here in Ontario.
14:13Lumber across the country.
14:15He wants to put a tariff.
14:16Guess what?
14:18The prices are going up in cost because he's putting a tariff on Canadian lumber.
14:22And Quebec sends electricity down to the U.S.
14:25British Columbia sends electricity.
14:26My good friends in Manitoba, they send electricity and they have nickel as well.
14:32And also alcohol.
14:34In Ontario, we're the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world.
14:38We have something called the Liquor Control Board, the LCBO.
14:41They're the largest purchaser in the world.
14:43We buy off 35 states, 3,600 products.
14:47We're the largest customer to California wines, to Kentucky bourbon, and Texas.
14:53All over the place.
14:54And you cut it all off.
14:55We pull them all off the shelves.
14:56I don't want to do this.
14:58When I talked to the great governor of Kentucky, he said, Premier, please do not take my bourbon
15:02off the shelves.
15:03I said, I have no choice.
15:04Talk to your president.
15:06I want to buy more bourbon.
15:08But they're coming off the shelves.
15:10And this is affecting everyone.
15:12They're going to have layoffs.
15:14It's unfortunate.
15:16For what?
15:17Right?
15:18And the list just continues to go on.
15:19So if I hear you, you're turning off the lights and you're running the bourbon dry in response
15:23to what the United States is doing.
15:24The last thing I want to do is turn out the lights.
15:26I'll put a tariff.
15:29But let's straighten this out.
15:31And to the American homeowner in Minnesota or New York or somewhere else that gets its
15:36power from electricity, they're going to see the electric bill in a month and they're going
15:39to realize, whoa.
15:41Yes.
15:42A lot more expensive than it was.
15:43That's correct.
15:44Would you tell them?
15:45And there's one person to be blamed, and that's President Trump.
15:47And I sincerely apologize to the American people.
15:50I really, truly do.
15:52But again, contact your senator, your congressperson, your governor, and they should be standing
15:58on the steps of Capitol Hill screaming up and down because this is totally unnecessary.
16:04I want to ship them more electricity, more critical minerals.
16:07Now, you know how President Trump works.
16:09And I've noticed two things you've been doing that are going to get to him.
16:12One, you're doing a lot of advertising for Ontario on channels he watches, on the Super
16:18Bowl, in train stations.
16:21Second, you're doing just about every interview that comes from the United States asking for
16:26you.
16:27Yes.
16:28Because you know he watches a lot of TV.
16:29Oh, I want to inform the American people on what's going on because they aren't being
16:33informed properly and the numbers are not accurate, what they're going out there.
16:39And again, we're going to ramp up the ads.
16:42We spent tens of millions of dollars, but now the ads are going to be a little different.
16:47They're going to show, you know, before he was elected, and then when these tariffs come,
16:53and if we don't get a tariff deal, they're going to be assembly lines shut down, jobs
16:58are going to be lost, unemployment's going up, and inflation's going up.
17:03As a matter of fact, inflation's going up right now because of the uncertainty.
17:07Again, I don't want to do this.
17:09We didn't start this fight, and neither did the Americans.
17:13The President started this fight.
17:15So if I'm hearing it, you're saying you're going to run attack ads, basically, against
17:18what he's doing in the States.
17:19Well, I wouldn't call them attack ads, I'm going to call them information ads.
17:23And they're going to inform the great people of the United States, you know, how it could
17:28be, and having two great nations, and how it might be if these tariffs continue to go
17:34through.
17:35As far as I'm concerned, it's unacceptable.
17:39So let's avoid these tariffs, let's sit down, and let's hash out a deal, and let's put this
17:46behind us.
17:47There's more problems around the world, all over the place, than worrying about Canada.
17:54You're not Prime Minister of Canada.
17:57You are Premier, though, as you said, of one of its largest customers.
18:01So it's not necessarily on you to speak directly to the President.
18:05But let's say he called you, or let's say you got so angry that you said, screw it,
18:09I'm calling the White House, I want to talk to him directly.
18:11What would you tell him?
18:12I'd tell him exactly what I told you.
18:16We're very disappointed.
18:18Canadians are very disappointed.
18:20In times of crisis, no matter if, when they got attacked on 9-11, whose soldiers died?
18:2915 soldiers died because one of their family members got attacked.
18:34And we'd do exactly the same.
18:36When the hurricanes just came through a few months ago, who sent the hydro linemen, the
18:42electrical linemen down?
18:45Ontario sent them down.
18:46When the fires were happening in California, we sent water bombers on our way over.
18:53We stopped in British Columbia, and we had 300 urban firefighters ready to go.
18:59There was over 1,000 urban firefighters ready to go.
19:03We had to cut it off at 300.
19:05We love our American neighbours, and we will do anything to help them, to protect them.
19:11And that's what Canada does.
19:14So again, to the President, stop this craziness.
19:22Stop.
19:23He's a smart guy.
19:24He's a business guy.
19:26You don't become president by not being a smart guy.
19:29But man, maybe his handlers or someone just misguided him.
19:33I think there was a few people that believe in protectionism.
19:36And if you go online, I think it was May 1988 with Ronald Reagan, talking about free trade.
19:44You don't create an economic war against your closest friends and allies.
19:50You work together and grow the pie, or grow the omelette, as I always say.
19:55So hopefully we'll get through this.
19:57We will get through it.
19:58I'm very, very confident.
20:00People will come to their senses, and let's move forward united, strong.
20:06So that's what I believe.
20:07Real quick, before we go for a walk.
20:09This hat here.
20:10Canada is not for sale.
20:11I'm going to grab it here.
20:12I'll show it to you.
20:13Sure.
20:14Where did this come from?
20:16Well, I'm the chair of the federation, meaning the chair of the premiers.
20:21They rotate every single year, and it fell on my lap this year.
20:25And I was going to visit the prime minister with all the premiers of the country.
20:30And my staff ran up before I hopped out of the car and said, put this hat on.
20:35And I said, I don't wear baseball caps.
20:37I got a big noggin.
20:38You know, so they won't look good.
20:40Put it on.
20:41So I put it on, and it went viral.
20:45And it was a great story.
20:46A young entrepreneur named Liam, just starting a company.
20:52And all of a sudden, he printed this up.
20:54Because when I was on a network, I said, Canada is not for sale.
20:59And so he printed that up, and it has gone wild, like literally viral.
21:04You can't keep up.
21:05So he went from zero sales into millions of dollars of sales.
21:09And someone told me it's eight weeks behind on orders.
21:13So good for Liam.
21:16And his fiancee gave them a little start in life.
21:20But this is a clear message.
21:24Canada is not for sale and will never be the 51st state.
21:28And that's not disrespecting America, because as far as I'm concerned, two greatest countries
21:33in the world.
21:34And I couldn't ask for a better neighbor than the United States of America.
21:38And I say, God bless America, and God bless Canada.
21:42And he talked about making you guys the 51st state.
21:44What did you think?
21:45That's not going to happen.
21:46At first, I thought it was a joke.
21:49I joked around and said, yeah, he's upset because we burnt the White House down in 1812.
21:53And he's holding a 200-year grudge on us.
21:57But then I thought, boy, he's serious.
21:59And then I thought, you know, maybe it's a compliment, because we are a great country.
22:04He's not saying that to anywhere else.
22:06He's not saying anywhere in South America.
22:08He's not saying Mexico will become a 51st state.
22:11He knows how great Canada is.
22:13And we share the same values.
22:15Americans and Canadians share the same values.
22:19We have the same democracy.
22:22So we're two great countries.
22:23Let's continue working together.