Ford demands 'dollar-for-dollar' tariff retaliation as Aug. 1 trade deadline looms

Ontario Premier Doug Ford walked into a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and the country's other provincial leaders on a Tuesday morning in Huntsville with a clear message: if the United States raises tariffs on Canadian goods, Canada should hit back just as hard.

The deadline is August 1st. That's when a new free trade agreement either gets signed or the U.S. imposes a 35 per cent tariff on many Canadian products. Most goods already face a 25 per cent levy that took effect earlier this year. Ford's position is unambiguous. He doesn't speak for all the provinces, he said, but in his view, Canada needs to match the Americans dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff. "There is one thing President Trump understands," Ford told reporters. "It is strength. He doesn't understand or appreciate weakness. He will roll over us like a cement roller if you show an ounce of weakness."

The language is blunt because Ford believes the stakes demand it. He's not arguing for negotiation or compromise at this moment—he's arguing for preparation. The premiers gathered in Huntsville wanted an update from Carney on how the trade talks are actually going. The prime minister has already signaled that a complete removal of all tariffs is unlikely to happen. So the question becomes: what happens on August 2nd if no deal materializes?

Ford's answer is that Canada should use its leverage. He rattled off the resources the U.S. needs: Alberta's oil, Saskatchewan's potash and uranium, Ontario's high-grade nickel. "These are just a fraction of the items where he needs us," Ford said. The implication is clear—Trump may say he doesn't need Canada, but the economic reality is more complicated. A country that supplies critical minerals and energy doesn't have to accept whatever terms are offered.

Beyond the tariff question, Ford is also pushing Ontario toward self-sufficiency. He wants the province to start manufacturing steel I-beams and rebar domestically instead of importing them from the U.S. He noted the irony: Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area have more construction cranes in the sky than the top ten American cities combined, yet those cranes are hoisting American steel. Before this trade crisis, he said, he didn't realize Ontario wasn't making these basic materials. Now it will.

This is economic repositioning dressed as necessity. Ford is framing domestic manufacturing not as a long-term strategy but as a response to American pressure. If tariffs are going to make U.S. goods expensive anyway, Ontario might as well build what it needs at home. It's a message aimed at both Trump and Ontario voters: the province doesn't have to accept weakness, and it can create jobs by doing so.

The premiers are hoping for the best, Ford said, but they're prepared to do their part. What that part looks like—whether it's matching tariffs, accelerating domestic production, or some combination—will depend on what happens in the next ten days. For now, Ford is making clear that Canada's response won't be passive. If strength is what Trump understands, then strength is what he'll get.