Doug Ford suggests U.S. ‘broke a verbal agreement’ in hiking tariffs on steel and aluminum

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ont. Premier Doug Ford spoke after U.S. President Trump doubled metals tariffs.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on the federal government to double its tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum, arguing that Canada can’t let “President Trump steamroll us.”

Ford made the comment to reporters at Queen’s Park on Thursday after Trump signed an executive order that doubled the tariff on imported steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

“We can’t sit back and let President Trump steamroll us, try to shut down our steel industry, and take jobs down to the U.S.” Ford said. “He has no regard whatsoever for jobs here in Ontario and we need to slap another 25 per cent tariff on the steel that is coming into Ontario and Canada as a whole.”

Federal officials have not said whether they plan to double an existing counter tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum in lockstep with the latest move by the White House but Ford told CNN during an interview earlier on Wednesday that he has “directly” made the request to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park, he said that he has also spoken to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc to reiterate Ontario’s position on the need for “dollar for dollar” retaliatory tariffs.

“He (LeBlanc) didn’t give me a guarantee but I will be all over him,” Ford promised.

Ford suggests all options on the table

Industry representatives have warned that the new 50 per cent tariff imposed by the U.S. could have a devastating effect on a Canadian steel industry which directly employs approximately 23,000 people, many of them in Ontario.

Ford said in the wake of the latest salvo in the trade war he has directed his office to ensure that all infrastructure projects undertaken by the provincial government use Canadian steel “at all costs.”

Asked whether further retaliatory action could be taken, including the restoration of a surcharge on electricity that Ontario sends to the U.S., Ford added that “everything is on the table right now.”

The premier then went on to suggest that in doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum the U.S. “broke a verbal agreement.” Back in March, Trump threatened to double the tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50 per cent following a 25 per cent energy export tax levied by Ontario but the two sides ultimately agreed to walk back both measures.

“We had an agreement before that he (Trump) was going to take off the other 25 per cent to keep it at 25 per cent and unfortunately they broke a verbal agreement…” Ford said. “It is unfortunate that President Trump and his team thought this was a great idea. They can’t see the forest beyond the trees. This is going to hurt the American people.