
Monday February 3, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke ~ Island Social Trends
The Province of Ontario will not proceed with a contract with Starlink that was set to start in June. No payments have been made yet.
The $100 million deal was signed last fall to bring broadband across the province. Canadians companies apparently couldn’t be ready for two more years to undertake a contract that would provide internet for 15,000 people in the far north, Ford explained.
Starlink is owned by Elon Musk who has become a close advisor to US President Trump.
“President Trump is the only person to be blamed” for the tariff situation that Canada finds itself in, said Ontario Premier Doug Ford today.
Ford is currently in election mode as leader of the Ontario Conservatives. He is still chair of the Council of the Federation (Canada’s premiers).
Tariffs have changed everything;
US tariffs go into effect against Canada starting tomorrow, Feburary 4. That would be 25% on all Canadian products exported to the United States, with energy at 10%.
Ford says Trump has “walked away from” a successful trading relationship. The trade deal called CUSMA (formerly NAFTA) that was signed in 2018 seems to have been entirely disregarded by Trump in his actions on tariffs since taking office on January 20.
“President Trump is trying to break Canada. None of us want to be in this situation,” said Ford today, adding that Trump underestimates the resolve of Canadians.
“I’ll never support that guy again, ever,” said Ford about Trump, who he says is “hell-bent on destroying people’s families.”
Adjusting at home:
“We’re in an economic war, we have to take down the (inter-provincial trading) barriers,” said Ford. He says the tariff fights has “brought us together like never before”, referring to the other provinces.
He wants to see ‘buy Canadian’ markings on packaging and on retail shelves, in Ontario and right across the country.
For products normally purchased by contractors at Home Depot or Canadian Tire: “Call us and we’ll find someone who can manufacture it at a competitive cost,” said Ford today.
There is $500 billion in two-way trade in Ontario; manufacturing, trading and buying within the province incurs no tariff. that also applies to 51 other 51 other countries with which there are no tariffs. Ontario needs to “change our scope and ship stuff around the world where we have tariff-free arrangements”.
“We need to broaden our base and we need to focus on that.”
Infrastructure product shift:
He said that Ontario is spending $4.2 billion putting in internet services across the province, Ford said today, highlighting the job creation aspect of that.
Ford says that for infrastructure projects across Ontario at $30 billion contractors are not using American companies. He says steel, wood and other building products can be sourced in Ontario or across Canada. He encourages all 444 Ontario municipalities to take the same decision.
Today Ford said that in Ontario things will be manufactured at home or sourced from places other than the US, setting in motion a realignment of trade that could last well beyond this year.
Alcohol off the shelves:
Ontario is also pulling all US alcohol products from sale in the provincial liquor stores which Ford says will have a $1 billion impact against the United States.
BC is also ordering US alcohol products off retail shelves, as is Nova Scotia.
Appealing to Americans:
Ford will appear on Fox News in the US again this week. He has made appearances on CNN and Fox in recent weeks to outline how the Trump tariffs will make things more expensive for Americans.
“China is the problem”, says Ford, for bringing cheap goods into Mexico, labelling them with Made in Mexico and shipping them north.
Create inflation and make Americans poorer.
Trump has acknowledged that Amercicans will be impacted in the short term but that the results gained will be worth it. Trump is trying to attack more business investment to the Untied States from other countries.
Canada’s premiers will be in Washington on February 11 and 12 to meet with lawmakers and business leaders. Ford says he’ll be there again on February 20.
Ford continues to promote ‘Fortress AmCa’. “We’ve just begun: and “will never ever give up — as a province as a people as communities,” said Ford today. “We’re resilient and we’re proud, and that goes a long way.”
===== RELATED:
- American liquor still on many BC retail shelves (February 2, 2025)
- BC Premier David Eby on Feb 1 US tariff announcement (February 1, 2025)
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians about US tariffs (February 1, 2025)
- Feb 1 tariff announcement by US President Trump (February 1, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: CANADA-USA | BUSINESS & ECONOMY