US-Canada tariff war: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Donald Trump is treating Canada ‘like Communist China’
US-Canada tariff war: An area where Canada can hurt the US is the electricity supply. The country delivers power to more than 20 US states through integrated cross-border transmission lines.
Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, who recently got into a heated war of words with US President Donald Trump over steep tariffs, has accused Trump of treating Canada 'like we're Communist China here'. Ford's comments came after Washington imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. He told CBS News on Tuesday (local time) that such measures undermine the close alliance between the two countries.
"We're the closest friends and allies that the US has anywhere in the entire world, and I want to keep it that way," Ford said in the interview.
His more conciliatory tone was evident in a separate interview with Bloomberg Television. “Things got a little heated...He was throwing insults. And I hit back. But I think it’d be more productive if the prime minister and the president sit down and have a fair deal for everyone," he added.
Quick answers to key questions
Canada's retaliatory tariffs will impose duties of 50% on steel, aluminum, furniture, and clothing; 25% on cheese, appliances, and some seafood; and 15% on electronics and tools.
Canada imposed counter-tariffs following the collapse of trade talks and the US decision to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, aiming to protect domestic industries affected by these tariffs.
The Canadian government designed the tariffs to limit their impact on consumers while still applying pressure on US exporters, intending to strike a balance between protecting Canadian businesses and minimizing consumer costs.
Yes, Canadian businesses are likely to face challenges due to escalating tariffs, as the measures aim to affect $20 billion worth of annual US exports to Canada, potentially increasing costs and disrupting supply chains.
The tariffs mark a significant escalation in trade tensions, representing a new low in Canada-US relations, with both countries increasingly resorting to trade barriers amidst hostile rhetoric.
With talks for a trade deal collapsing between the two sides, the US on Saturday imposed 50% tariffs on hundreds of imports from Canada, which was followed by Prime Minister Mark Carney announcing that Ottawa will be imposing counter-tariffs, leading to Trump threatening on Monday that he would be doubling tariffs on Canadian autos to 50%.
Ford had then slammed Trump for the threat, telling a radio host that Trump could “kiss my a-- as far as I’m concerned.”
Trump did not let these insults slide, and called Ford a 'flunky' of Carney's and said that he was considering renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Ford retorted, saying, "I have to laugh when he comes up with these ideas. It's always going to be Lake Ontario here in Canada. … If he wants to name it Lake America, Lake Trump, whatever he wants to do, that's his prerogative."
Canada then announced on Tuesday that it would double its current counter-tariffs on steel and aluminium products imported from the US to 50%. Milk, furniture, clothing and apparel, video gaming consoles, electronics, and numerous other products imported from the US would also face new duties, they added.
Canada can leverage electricity
Another area where Canada can hurt the US is in the electricity supply. The country sends electricity to more than 20 states in the US through integrated cross-border transmission lines.
However, Ford said he is not considering cutting off electricity to the US for now.
“I wouldn’t say cut it off, but surcharges for sure,” Ford told Bloomberg and added that he would like to send more electricity to the US.
Ford has a history of leveraging electricity. In 2025, in the early weeks of the trade war between the two countries, he added a 25% surcharge to electricity supplied to three US states for a single day before reversing the decision so that trade talks could continue.
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