Premier Ford backs down from electricity threats following warning from President Trump
The Ontario premier previously said he would turn off electricity to Americans with a "smile" on his face if President Trump didn't rescind tariffs on Canadian goods.
On Wednesday's live stream, Sheila Gunn Reid and Lise Merle discussed Doug Ford's reversal after threatening a 25% tariff on American-bound electricity following warnings from the Trump administration.
Ford previously stated that he would impose a 25% surcharge on electricity entering the U.S. if President Trump didn't lift his 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
The premier also warned that he would be willing to cut off the electricity supply to states like New York, Michigan, and Minnesota if the president refused to rescind tariffs.
Why is Doug Ford leading Canada's policy on American tariffs?
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 12, 2025
Ontario's premier threatened to turn off electricity to Americans with a "smile" on his face before ultimately rescinding a 25% surcharge.https://t.co/d5q56UrZt3
In response, President Trump condemned Ford's threats and said he would declare a "National Emergency on Electricity" in the affected areas. He also said that he would completely destroy Canada's auto sector and increase tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%.
Following Doug Ford's announcement that he would be halting the 25% surcharge on electricity, the Trump administration declared that it would also be halting the tariff increase.
Lise criticized Ford for attempting to play hardball with the Trump administration with a critical source of energy like electricity.
"Within three hours yesterday, Doug Ford went from saying, 'If America escalates I will not hesitate to turn off electricity to America,' to three hours later getting called to the principal's office by Howard Lutnick, the secretary of commerce, saying 'get your butt to Washington, we're going to talk about this,'" she said.
"Doug Ford got his hands spanked, just like we said yesterday on the show. Like this is not going to work out for you Doug, making these threats are not going to work out for you Doug, and that's exactly what happened," she added.
President Trump previously imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods and a 10% tariff on energy exports, citing Canada's weak border security and unfair trade practices. The president then scaled back the tariffs on goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzezck commented 2025-03-13 21:41:40 -0400A wise man once said, “Engage brain first before putting mouth in gear.” Words to live by, Mr. Ford.
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-03-13 19:34:32 -0400Ford is an utter idiot! It’s time to stop boasting and start negotiating. But Ford never learns. He’s too impulsive and rarely right. He’s a Liberal in a Conservative post. He never was for the people.