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Premier Doug Ford may be the reason Canada-U.S. trade negotiations collapsed, given reports surfacing this week that he refused to restore American alcohol to Ontario shelves — a sticking point that Prime Minister Mark Carney's negotiating team may have let become a dealbreaker.

Sheila and Lise discussed the fallout on Tuesday's Rebel Roundup livestream, pointing to reporting that Ontario's premier was effectively handed veto power over a deal meant to protect the entire country's economy.

The pair played a clip of Carney dodging a reporter's question about whether Ford had any role in killing the negotiations. Carney insisted the decisions were his and his Cabinet's alone, citing "an accumulation of issues" including language and culture protections, restrictions on future trade, and what he called an uncompetitive arrangement for the auto sector.

Lise wasn't buying it.

"So the entire Liberal brain trust is sent down to Washington to hammer out this necessary trade deal to keep the country's economy going, and they leave it up to the biggest buffoon anybody has ever seen to say no," she said.

Some reporting indicates that Netflix discoverability rules and French-language labelling requirements were seized on as justification once Ford made clear he wouldn't budge on American alcohol. 

"We don't need the French labelling on everything," Lise added. "As a matter of fact, it's a pain in the butt."

The conversation shifted to new polling showing Ford's Progressive Conservatives back in front provincially, a reversal from earlier this year when the party was dogged by their private jet controversy and spending scandals. Sheila and Lise compared the bump to Carney's own election strategy of casting Trump as the enemy.

"There is nobody more responsible for the jobs in Ontario more than Doug Ford," Lise said, pointing to layoffs already hitting the lumber and auto sectors.

The pair then turned to the Western provinces, noting that Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. had no say in the negotiations at all. Keystone XL, Saskatchewan potash and egg products were reportedly floated as bargaining chips without consultation.

"Nobody outside of Ontario voted for Doug Ford to have the last say in things that happen in our provinces," Lise said.