Ontario Premier Doug Ford imposed a 25% tariff on electricity sent to New York, Minnesota, and Michigan, affecting 1.5 million Americans despite long-term contracts guaranteeing delivery. Michigan said they don’t import electricity from Canada.
Ford said he expects this to cost those homes and businesses $400,000 Canadian dollars (or $277,000 in U.S. dollars) daily and add an average of $100 Canadian dollars (or $69 in U.S. dollars) a month to the bills of everyday Americans.
He also said he’s going to make sure red states in America “feel the pain like they’ve never felt before” in retaliation against President Trump’s tariffs.
“The market is going to go downhill faster than the American bobsled team,” he boasted vaingloriously.
The reality is that over 30% of Canada’s economy is based on exports to the US, but only 3% of the US economy is based on our exports to Canada.
Ford’s efforts will cost Ontario nearly $40 billion a year. Canadian rates will also go up.
“Maximum pressure to maximize our leverage,” Premier Ford said.
“If the US escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely,” Ford threatens.
It’s like a declaration of war.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
Today Premier Doug Ford @fordnation said one day Alberta might have to give approval for a federal tax on oil and gas headed from Alberta to the United States. I understand our new Prime Minister @MarkJCarney has mused about the same thing.
Let me be clear… Alberta will never agree to such an absurd and self destructive idea.
It’s not an option. I’m not going to agree to do something that will cost hundreds of thousands of Albertans (and Canadians) their jobs almost overnight.
That would be like placing export tariffs on Ontario auto parts. Also a bad idea.
There are many effective ways that Canada and Alberta can work together to pressure the U.S. President to change course on tariffs – THAT is not one of them… period.
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