Monday January 13, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS | VICTORIA, BC
Political news by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | CANADA-USA
Highly visible actions every day are needed to help stave off the possibility or impact of tariffs on Canadian exports that may be coming from the United States, says Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
“Tariffs are a real threat,” says Ford. “This is not something that we’re taking lightly,” he told media this morning from within the Ontario Science Centre with minerals on display behind him.
Tariffs will have a “devastating impact on families and workers on both sides of the border”, said Ford.
Premiers and prime minister this week:
Ford is currently the Chair of the Council of the Federation (Canada’s Premiers).
The Premiers will be meeting with the prime minister in person on Wednesday January 15 this wee in Ottawa to continue building a strategy. The Premiers met last week virtually via Zoom on January 8, and the Premiers met in person in Toronto on December 16.
He wants Canada to “everything humanly possible to avoid US tariffs”, says Ford, adding that “the political instability in Ottawa is no excuse”.
“The federal government needs to present a more credible plan to invest more in Canada’s military, to exceed our two percent NATO commitment, and the federal government needs to turn words into action,” said Ford today.
He is recommending “highly visible activities every day that show Canada is serious about strengthening our border security”. This highlights perhaps one of the biggest failings of the Trudeau Liberal government over the past nearly 10 year, i.e. a lack of or disorderly rollout of strategic communications.
As an example of leadership, Ford articulated that Ontario has been meeting with US Senators, US members of Congress, governors and business leaders over the past several months “to promote Ontario’s close economic partnership with the Untied States and to underscore the devastating impact that tariffs would have on families and workers in both countries”.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith visited the incoming US President in Florida this past weekend to discuss tariffs and energy (oil) from Alberta.
Jobs and economy:
Ford says that the jobs of about nine million Americans rely on making goods for sale in Ontario alone, as well as across Canada.
Canada needs to “get out there and show people a plan”, he says about a lack of statements from federal Minister of public Safety David McGuinty.
“This province and country is under attack economically. You don’t just roll over. I believe in negotiating from a position of strength, not weakness,” said Ford this morning.
He wants to protect jobs in Ontario and Canada.
Supply chains:
Ford has heard “significant concerns about China is ripping off American workers by hijacking global supply chains”. He has heard “loud and clear that America has had enough,” said Ford today, adding that US lawmakers are undertaking an “ambitious economic and geopolitical shift” to decouple America from China and its global proxies. “This won’t be easy.” It will require long-term thinking and dedication as well as friends and allies, says Ford. “And Canada’s here to help.”
“Canada and the US can be the richest, most successful, the safest countries on the entire planet,” added Ford.
He proposes a time of “unprecedented growth, job creation, security and prosperity” by building “Fortess AmCan” — a renewed alliance between America and Canada which Ford describes as “a true partnership” with “free, fair and balanced trade” while protecting borders and communities.
Critical minerals:
“America needs it and Canada has it,” says Ford about Ontario’s nickel and other critical minerals that he says are “essential for the advanced military technologies that will define geopolitical and economic security for the next century”. He calls that a “key strategic advantage”.
Ford wants to see reduced timelines for getting minerals out of the ground. Forty-six percent of the nickel that the US uses comes from Canada. He also listed off potash, electricity, uranium from Saskatchewan processed in Port Hope in Ontario, and silver as other resources from Canada that the US needs.
“America needs it, Canada has it,” said Ford, adding that China “dominates these resources while also restricting the sale and shipment of critical minerals to the US”.
” Canada and Ontario need to urgently get our critical minerals out of the ground, processed and shipped to the factory floors that are building for the future,” said Ontario’s premier. This is a step beyond the sale of raw resources that has long been Canada’s way. He sees Ontario as a global leader in critical minerals.
Building all-season roads is part of the strategy, called one of the easier parts of the plan. There is also a need to build out processing capacity and speed up regulatory approval timelines.
He feels the US is “quite excited about having strong economic ties”. He wants to “displace and replace Chinese supply”. He wants to see a “one process, one project permitting approach to all resource development in Canada”. Service standards and timelines would be guaranteed and involving Indigenous equity and participation. He wants the fedearl government to “designate areas where multiple critical minerals are likely to be present including the Ring of Fire Region (in Ontario’s far north) as regions of strategic importance to the national security of Canada and the US”.
Emerging strategic sectors should be identified regarding minerals and energy, says Ford. There should be “shared national security objectives”, said Ford, as part of the critical mineral strategy.
Ford also proposes a new cross-border working group toward achieving long term sustainability of critical mineral development projects.
“Fortress AmCan is an ambitious plan. It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight. But we owe it to our workers in Ontario, across Canada and the US to act now,” said Ford. “It will require the federal government to step up,” he added. It’s the “new American and Canadian century”.
Minerals need to get out of the ground quicker, says George Pirie, Ontario Minister of Mines. He highlighted how new mineral resources are being discovered in Ontario, including caesium that is only otherwise available from China.
“Let’s process these here, and be part of this supply chain,” says Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister of Northern Development. He wants to support isolated communities and municipalities: “It sends a message to our competition that AmCan can.”
===== RELATED:
- Canada’s Premiers to discuss tariffs on Feb 12 in Washington DC (January 10, 2025)
- Canada’s Premiers taking tariff talk to Washington (January 8, 2025)
- Eby outlines three-part BC response to US tariffs (January 7, 2025)
- Canada’s Premiers prioritize Canada-US relations, energy security and improving health care (December 16, 2024)
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