Ontario Premier Doug Ford is acting “egregious” and “insulting” with his threat to cut off electricity to Americans over tariffs, the White House says.
The premier of Ontario, Canada, Doug Ford, has agreed to suspend its 25% surcharge on electricity exported to Michigan, Minnesota and New York.
Ford and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick issued a joint statement on the matter Tuesday, saying the two of them had a productive conversation about the economic relationship between the U.S. and Canada.
“Secretary Lutnick agreed to officially meet with Premier Ford in Washington on Thursday, March 13, alongside the United States Trade Representative, to discuss a renewed USMCA [United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement] ahead of the April 2 reciprocal tariff deadline,” Ford shared in a post on X. “In response, Ontario agreed to suspend its 25 percent surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York and Minnesota.”
The agreement came after President Donald Trump threatened to impose further tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, electricity and vehicles on Tuesday.
TRUMP THREATENS FURTHER TARIFFS ON CANADIAN STEEL, ALUMINUM, ELECTRICITY, VEHICLES
In response to Ontario placing a 25% tariff on electricity coming into the U.S., Trump said he instructed Lutnick to add another 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum coming into the United States from Canada. The new 50% tariff was scheduled to go into effect Wednesday morning.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, deeming Canada “ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.”
CANADIANS FEEL ‘UNDER ECONOMIC ATTACK,’ FRUSTRATION WITH US OVER TRUMP TARIFFS, ANNEXATION TALK: AMBASSADOR
Ontario Premier Doug Ford gives remarks at a press conference in Queen’s Park on Monday in Toronto, Canada. Ford announced that the provincial government applied a 25% surcharge on all electricity exports to the United States as part of retaliatory t (Katherine KY Cheng/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Ford imposed 25% tariffs on electricity exports from the Canadian province to the U.S. states of Michigan, New York and Minnesota on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in front of a podium that read “Canada is not for sale,” Ford said the surcharge would cost families and businesses in those states up to $400,000 every day. On average, Ontario’s premier said it would add about $100 per month to “the bills of hardworking Americans.”
TRUMP SAYS HE PAUSED SOME TARIFFS TO ‘HELP’ MEXICO AND CANADA TO A ‘CERTAIN EXTENT’
President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, electricity and vehicles. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Let me be clear: I will not hesitate to increase this charge,” Ford said at the time of the announcement. “If necessary, if the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely. Believe me when I say I do not want to do this. I feel terrible for the American people because it’s not the American people who started this trade war. It’s one person who’s responsible. That’s President Trump.”
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In a follow-up post later on Tuesday, Trump asked, “Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area?””Who made these decisions, and why,” Trump added. “And can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat? They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!”
Fox Business’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
