The Washington reception with Ross Perot Jr. was one of the most high-profile events that the Ontario Premier was set to attend during his two-day visit to the U.S. capital.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The White House had voiced complaints about Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Washington reception with Ross Perot Jr., board chair at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, before it was abruptly cancelled, according to two American industry sources.
The reception, which was scheduled for Monday, was one of the most high-profile events that Mr. Ford was set to attend during his two-day visit to the U.S. capital. But a spokesperson for the chamber said it had been called off because of “scheduling conflicts.”
However, a source familiar with the reception said the White House expressed concerns about Mr. Ford to Mr. Perot Jr. before the event was cancelled.
Another source said the White House had complained to business figures in Washington about the Ontario Premier’s scheduled appearance. Mr. Ford is viewed as a major problem by the Trump administration, the person said.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources, who were not authorized to speak about internal discussions.
Neither Mr. Perot Jr., Mr. Ford’s office, nor the U.S. Chamber of Commerce responded to requests for comment on Tuesday. Ariel Pollock, a spokesperson for U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, referred questions to the chamber.
Mr. Hoekstra recently tweeted a screenshot of a Truth Social post from U.S. President Donald Trump, in which Mr. Trump had shared a link to a story about the weakness of the Canadian economy and captioned it “51st State!”
Mr. Ford hit back on social media last week, saying Canada would never be the 51st state and later telling reporters that he’s “tired of that guy,” referring to the U.S. President.
Canadian-built Gordie Howe International Bridge to Detroit to open this week, Carney says
Last October during trade negotiations, the U.S. walked away from the bargaining table, citing an Ontario government anti-tariff ad featuring late president Ronald Reagan as the reason.
A White House official denied that there had been any communication with the Chamber of Commerce itself about the Monday event, but used the opportunity to take a shot at Mr. Ford. The Globe agreed not to name the official in order to learn the administration’s perspective on Mr. Ford’s visit.
Speaking to reporters outside the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on Tuesday, Mr. Ford said the reception with Mr. Perot Jr. was cancelled because of “a little conflict of scheduling,” but added the Ontario delegation was well-received.
“We have been jammed meeting everyone down here. They rolled out the red carpet for us. They treat us so well,” Mr. Ford said.
The Premier, who was once an admitted supporter of the U.S. President, has been one of his loudest critics since Mr. Trump began hammering Canada in his global trade war last year.
Mr. Ford told reporters that he didn’t meet with any members of the Trump administration during his visit, despite his office telling reporters in advance that he would.
But he did sit down on Tuesday with U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, a Republican and Trump ally. In a post on X, Mr. Cramer said that border states share “economic, cultural, and even familial bonds with Canada,” calling Mr. Ford a friend and saying it was a substantive discussion.
Mr. Ford later said on social media that he met with Republicans including Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, who represents New York, and Congressman Rudy Yakym from Indiana.
Opinion: It’s a failure, but Trump isn’t dropping his anti-Canada campaign
The Premier also met with five associations including from auto, aviation, defence and agriculture sectors.
Mr. Ford unveiled his government’s new “Fortress North America” plan, which pushes for further integration of the continental economy and the renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
He told reporters that his ban on American alcohol – a major irritant to the U.S. administration – will be lifted at provincially owned liquor stores if the USMCA is renewed.
Opposition parties at Queen’s Park have questioned the purpose of Mr. Ford’s trip, saying he’s flying to Washington to escape domestic problems and that his interventions in U.S. politics are unhelpful.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was once a powerful presence in Republican circles in Washington, has seen its influence diminish sharply in the era of Mr. Trump. Staunchly pro-free-trade, the group has been sympathetic to the positions of Canada and Mexico, as many of its members depend on these markets for their livelihood.
The U.S. and Canada negotiated for several months last year as Ottawa sought to get Mr. Trump’s tariffs removed. The Trump administration’s demand, The Globe previously reported, was that Canada accept both tariffs and export quotas on metals in exchange for the U.S. not setting its tariffs even higher.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc has tried to restart talks this spring, including with a Washington visit last week to meet with Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative. The U.S. has continued, however, to freeze Canada out of negotiations with Mexico on renewing the USMCA, the trade deal with which Mr. Trump replaced NAFTA in his first term.
Mr. Ford said on Tuesday that he spoke with Mr. LeBlanc before travelling to the U.S.
Mr. Trump appears to be trying to replicate a divide-and-conquer strategy used near the end of USMCA talks in 2018, in which the U.S. first pressured Mexico into making concessions, then presented the resulting deal to Canada and demanded it sign on.
In talks with Mexico so far, Mr. Greer has demanded a requirement that all autos in North America contain at least 50 per cent U.S. content, a significant escalation of protectionism meant to benefit U.S. industry over its continental partners.