Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Toronto on May 4. The Premier is expected to meet with business leaders from the auto, aerospace and agriculture industries as well as U.S. senators and members of Congress during the two-day trip on June 8 and 9.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Doug Ford is set to co-host a business reception alongside American billionaire Ross Perot Jr. in Washington in early June, part of the Ontario Premier’s renewed efforts to push for stronger economic ties between Canada and the United States at a critical juncture in trade negotiations.
The reception, scheduled for June 8, will cater to a U.S. business crowd, Mr. Ford’s office said. The Premier is also expected to meet with business leaders from the auto, aerospace and agriculture industries during the two-day trip on June 8 and 9, as well as with U.S. senators and members of Congress.
Mr. Perot Jr., a real estate developer and son of the former presidential candidate of the same name, chairs the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which bills itself as the world’s largest business organization, representing more than three million American companies of all sizes.
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Mr. Perot Jr., who previously told The Globe and Mail that he considers U.S. President Donald Trump a friend, referred questions to the USCC. The chamber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The trip to DC will be Mr. Ford’s first since travelling there twice during the February, 2025, provincial election campaign, which saw his Progressive Conservatives win a third majority.
Mr. Ford and Mr. Perot Jr. struck up a friendship this year after meeting in April during the Premier’s provincial trade mission to Texas. The two visited a private museum on the Perot family property dedicated to the late Ross Perot, an independent candidate who finished third in the 1992 race against Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, with almost 19 per cent of the vote. The elder Mr. Perot died in 2019.
While in DC, Mr. Ford is expected to launch an updated version of his “Fortress Am-Can” pitch, which will now be labelled “Fortress North America” – focusing on the economic partnerships and shared security between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. While Mr. Ford has previously mused about cutting Mexico out of the deal, he is revising his vision to include integrating all three economies.
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“As part of his long-standing efforts to make the case against American tariffs and protectionism, Premier Ford will be travelling to Washington for two days, during which time he’ll meet with elected officials and business leaders to launch Fortress North America,” Mr. Ford’s spokesperson, Hannah Jensen, said in a statement.
Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed the sentiment last week during an Economic Club of New York speech, talking about more co-operation inside a “Fortress North America” on industries that are currently subject to hefty U.S. tariffs, including automobiles, steel and aluminum. The Prime Minister also called for a “new partnership” between Canada and the U.S.
“Canada strong will help make America great again,” Mr. Carney said.
Mr. Ford’s Washington visit is taking place at a critical time. The formal review date for the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is less than five weeks away and talks between Ottawa and Washington have effectively stalled.
U.S. negotiators met their counterparts in Mexico City last week for the first formal round of USMCA negotiations – notably without Canada at the table. The countries have scheduled two more rounds of bilateral talks over the next month. Mr. Ford called Canada’s absence from the table concerning.
The three countries must meet on July 1 to decide whether to extend the agreement for 16 years or move to a period of annual reviews for 10 years, after which the deal will expire if no extension is reached. Any of the parties can withdraw from the treaty with six months’ notice.
Mr. Ford is also set to visit South Carolina at the end of June and Utah in early July to attend conferences with other premiers and meet with governors.
Mr. Ford, who last year spearheaded a group representing Canada’s premiers, cast himself as a “Captain Canada” figure while the federal Liberals were plunged into disarray after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation.
He won a third majority last year under the slogan “Protect Ontario,” which earned him praise in some circles for standing up to Mr. Trump, but was viewed by others as overstepping his bounds by interfering in federal matters.