Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday he's now convinced the federal government has a "phenomenal" plan to secure the Canada-U. S. border in response to Donald Trump's tariff threat — although he didn't offer up any details of that plan.
Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from Canada. The U.S. president-elect initially said that the tariff would be in response to what he called Canada's inaction on drugs and migrants crossing the shared border.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc in Toronto on Tuesday, Ford was full of praise for LeBlanc and for the "solid, solid plan." He urged federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty to "get out there and put the plan in front of the Canadian people."
LeBlanc, who previously announced a $1.3-billion, six-year plan to secure the border, said he told Ford the money will allow the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency to use long-range drones and surveillance towers, create a joint air command, hire more officers and deploy 80 canine units to search for fentanyl. He did not unveil any new measures, timelines or specific costs.
LeBlanc said he also presented those measures to key members of the Trump team when they met in Florida — although that has not convinced Trump to back down.
Premier Ford began the day by slamming the Liberal government on the border file.
"I'm going to be blunt: they need to get their act together. Simple as that," Ford said on Tuesday morning.
Ford said Ontario officials have estimated the proposed tariffs on Canadian goods could cost his province up to half a million jobs.
"This is serious," he said. "It's unprecedented."
LeBlanc said the federal government has done its own modelling on the national impact of the tariffs but would not share those figures.
"We're not going to speculate on what exactly are different scenarios. Next week, we think we'll know the precise details of what these tariffs will mean to the Canadian economy, and we'll be ready, of course, to respond from a position of strength and, we hope, as a unified country," he said.
LeBlanc said unity will be the message when he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet with the country's premiers on Wednesday.
The federal cabinet is also set to gather for a two-day retreat starting Jan. 20, which is inauguration day and the day Trump said his tariffs will begin.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump pledged to create an "external revenue service" to start collecting "tariffs, duties and all revenue that come from foreign sources."
"We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share. January 20, 2025, will be the birth date of the External Revenue Service. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump said in the post.
It's not clear how such a department would work. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury establishes regulations and Customs and Border Protection collects applicable tariffs at U.S. ports of entry. The creation of such a department likely would require approval from Congress.
LeBlanc said he and Ford discussed the possibility of heading to Washington next week or visiting the border, once it's clear what the Trump administration plans to do.
He stressed the need for premiers and the federal government to make a common case for defending Canada's economy.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who recently visited with Trump in Florida, has cautioned the federal government against blocking energy exports to the U.S. in response to tariffs, while Ford has said all options should be on the table.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, speaking at an event in Toronto on Tuesday, said Canada needs to organize itself to export its oil, gas and critical minerals to other markets.
"By the way, we have other markets, because energy is economic security and economic security in this world is national security," he said.
He also said the "Team Canada" approach has not been as successful this time as it was during the first Trump administration, adding he has tried to encourage a multi-partisan approach.
Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper said he has "a real problem" with the things Trump has been saying.
In an interview with an American podcaster released on Monday, Harper swatted down Trump's claim that the U.S. is subsidizing Canada, attributing the "modest trade surplus" to the fact that the U.S. buys so much Canadian oil and gas at a discount to world markets.
"It’s actually Canada that subsidizes the United States in this regard," he said.
Harper said the shared defence of North America through Norad is also not a subsidy. "The United States does that because it’s in the vital interest of the United States," he said. "Do you want Canada to be a neutral country?"
He also said there's no major flow of migrants into the U.S. from Canada, while calling the Biden administration's policy on the southern border "disgraceful."
"I’m gonna tell you right now: drugs, guns, crime — most of those things flow north, not south," Harper said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2025.
— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington
Sarah Ritchie and Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
