Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, left, and Victor Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade, visit the Austin Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.Sergio Flores/The Globe and Mail
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that he believes a majority government would bring certainty to trade talks with the United States, as he expressed optimism that the trilateral free-trade deal between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will survive the Donald Trump era.
Speaking with The Globe and Mail in Austin, Tex., at the end of a three-day visit to meet with business leaders and U.S. officials, Mr. Ford said the economic partnership between Ontario and the U.S. remains strong despite the punishing tariffs imposed on Canada by Mr. Trump’s administration.
The Progressive Conservative Premier, who has won three back-to-back majorities, also weighed in on the coming federal by-elections on April 13. If Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals win all three races – two in Toronto, and one in Quebec – it would hand the federal government a slim, working majority.
“I always believe that you get more things done when you have a majority government,” Mr. Ford told The Globe during an interview at the Austin Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
“Let’s see what happens with those by-elections. There’s a pretty good chance that he’ll win them.”
The Premier has had a warm relationship with Mr. Carney over the past year, frequently praising him as an astute businessman and inviting him to stay overnight at the Ford family cottage last summer. In contrast, he has not been close with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whom he only spoke to for the first time more than a year ago.
Mr. Ford said a federal majority would be good for the country, regardless of political stripe.
“At the end of the day, I think people want certainty. And it will give them certainty.”
Mr. Ford once praised Mr. Trump, but now frequently appears on U.S. cable networks as one of the President’s fiercest critics. The Texas outreach is part of an effort to shore up support for his province’s industries and advocate against tariffs, including to Republicans such as U.S. Congressman Roger Williams.
Mr. Ford said he believes the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is up for review on July 1, will stay in place “with a few tweaks,” including on sectoral tariffs hitting steel and aluminum sectors. Still, he said he can’t predict Mr. Trump’s next moves.
“I would never speculate with President Trump,” he said.
Doug Ford says he’s hearing love for Canada on trip to Texas
“But I think it’s beneficial to all three countries, Mexico, U.S. and Canada, that we all work together. We’d be unstoppable, all three of us against some folks that may not see eye to eye with us, like China, like Russia, like North Korea.”
Jeremy Martin, president and CEO of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, said international trade continues to be a top priority to the state. He said Mr. Ford’s trade mission is a “very positive” sign for the Canada-U.S. relationship.
But he added that the reaction to tariffs among businesses is “pretty diverse.”
“They talk about it in terms of both uncertainty but also opportunity. Because when there is change, there is opportunity to seize new lines of business,” he said.
The Premier, who has been criticized by opposition leaders for taking the trip instead of focusing on provincial affairs, said there are 175 companies that do business in both Ontario and Texas and it’s important to speak with them directly.
“It’s rule number one in sales – you’ve got to go, meet the people, look at them square in the eyes, build that relationship,” he said.
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He said one of the businesses, a Texas-based waste-management company, has committed to investing $462-million in Ontario, and he said the trip will yield a total of $1-billion in investments in the province.
Although originally scheduled to speak with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a key Trump ally, Mr. Ford said the meeting was put on hold because of scheduling conflicts and a statewide state of emergency because of weather.
“I have a great deal of respect for Governor Abbott and we share the same values, same philosophies,” he said, referring to cutting taxes for businesses.
“I look forward to meeting him one day either in Toronto or coming back to Texas.”
The Premier said he’s heard about love for Canadians while on the trip, but also believes Ontarians haven’t given up on the U.S. Despite a drop in travel and boycott of U.S. goods – including American alcohol at the LCBO – Mr. Ford said he thinks people can differentiate between the American people and Mr. Trump.
“I’ll tell you, Canadians love Americans. I hear it all day long,” he said.
“We’re going to get through this little hiccup that we’re seeing, and we’re going to be two great, strong nations once again.”