Premier of Ontario Doug Ford threatened to cut off his province’s power supply exports to the United States if Canada is tariffed.
President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico in February. These were paused for a month after negotiations. On March 4, the tariffs resumed.
Premier Ford alleges the US tariffs aimed at Canada are part of an effort to annihilate his province. According to the Toronto Sun, the Premier spoke about his intentions at a mining convention on March 3:
“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face.”
Ford continued:
“They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.”
The Premier said he is ready to match US tariffs.
If Ford’s countermeasures go through, three American states will bear their burden. New York, Michigan, and Minnesota are the top three states in the US receiving power imports from Canada.
On Tuesday, Ford announced on X that Ontario will apply a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exported to New York, Michigan, and Minnesota. Accompanying this post is a letter to the governors of the three states indicating Ford’s intentions if the tariffs remain in effect. Perhaps most striking among these is that he may increase the surcharge, or shut off electricity altogether, if deemed necessary.
A 2023 electricity report shows Canada sold $5.8 billion in electricity to the US According to the report, Canada and the US have a “highly interconnected energy system.” The report further reveals that the “provinces of Ontario and Quebec together produce over half of Canada’s electricity and are responsible for over half the electricity exports to the US.”
In his letter, Ford stated Ontario powers 1.5 million homes in the US.
According to the New York Post, New York Governor Kathy Hochul does not believe Ford will follow through on his threats due to the friendly relationship they have.
