Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives at his office in Ottawa on Wednesday. Canada has held off on any retaliatory action since the imposition of higher U.S. tariffs, with Mr. Carney pointing to the North American free trade pact when asked whether new measures are being considered.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is warning that U.S. President Donald Trump is aiming to renegotiate the North American free-trade deal ahead of schedule in a way that could harm Canada’s economy, and he says the federal government should be preparing now for early talks.
Mr. Ford, speaking to reporters Wednesday after a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and his fellow premiers, said he believes Mr. Trump wants an early renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free-trade agreement, often referred to in Canada as CUSMA.
The agreement is up for renewal in the summer of 2026, but Mr. Ford said Canada must be ready to negotiate sooner and do more to manufacture products domestically and strengthen its own economy first.
The trade agreement has shielded most Canadian goods from Mr. Trump’s punishing tariffs, which were increased to 35 per cent last week, although steel and aluminum have been further targeted by the U.S. with 50-per-cent tariffs, and the auto sector with 25 per cent.
The U.S. President is “coming at us hard. He is going to come at us with everything he has. And we have to make sure that that we’re ready,” Mr. Ford said at Queen’s Park as he emerged from the hour-long meeting.
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He added that he doesn’t believe Mr. Trump will wait until next year to renegotiate the free-trade agreement as scheduled.
“He could pull the carpet out from underneath us on CUSMA tomorrow with one signature. So let’s be prepared. I think it’ll be coming in November, in my opinion,” Mr. Ford said.
“I just want to go on record. He’s coming full bore at us,” the Premier said, adding the negotiation “isn’t going to be a church picnic.”
“I’m praying that everything’s going to go fine, but if it doesn’t - I’m going to ask the people, do you trust President Trump? I don’t.”
Canada has so far held off on any retaliatory action since the imposition of the higher tariffs, with Mr. Carney, as well as his senior cabinet ministers, repeatedly pointing to the free-trade pact when asked whether new measures are being considered.
They stress that the majority of goods traded between Canada and the U.S. are covered by the deal, and therefore are excluded from levies.
That the U.S. is respecting the free-trade deal needs to be kept in mind, Mr. Carney told reporters on Tuesday when asked whether Canada will retaliate.
“Part of our discussion is about that. We are also very cognizant that in about nine months from now, the first review of USMCA, CUSMA as we call it, will begin between the three parties. So there’s a bigger picture there,” he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is holding virtual meetings with his cabinet and the premiers, less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump hit Canada with a baseline 35-per-cent tariff. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to see dollar-for-dollar retaliation, but that doesn't mean he doesn't back Carney's approach.
The Canadian Press
Mr. Carney said at a press conference Tuesday the aim of the government is to minimize the impact on domestic industry.
“We look at what we can do for our industry that’s most effective. In some cases, that will be to remove tariffs,” Mr. Carney said.
In a statement after Wednesday’s meeting, Mr. Carney said he emphasized to premiers that Canada remains determined to secure the best deal.
But he noted the Canadian economy is still feeling the impact of the tariffs.
The statement said the first ministers discussed ways to mitigate those impacts, including accelerating “efforts to mobilize capital and investment, diversify supply chains, and strengthen domestic production capacity.”
The statement made no mention of further retaliation against the U.S., nor the scaling back of existing countertariffs.
B.C. Premier David Eby called Wednesday’s meeting with the Prime Minister “informative,” and echoed Mr. Ford’s call for Canada to do more to bolster its own economy.
“I support the Prime Minister in taking the time needed to get a reasonable agreement, if one is even available,” he said in a statement.
“Canada does not need an ‘agreement’ that locks our businesses into painful and permanent tariffs going forward.”
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Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Ford told reporters he remains “100 per cent supportive” of Mr. Carney and the government, but he is still in favour of reciprocal tariffs.
“You can’t have tariffs on one side and not the other,” Mr. Ford told reporters after an announcement Wednesday in Thornhill, Ont.
“I still stand by what I say, ‘dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff.’ They understand strength, not weakness, and we should never, ever roll over and be weak.”
Mr. Ford said he personally spoke to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday and it was a positive discussion, though he declined to elaborate.
“He said he really likes Canadians, which is good. Liking and cutting tariffs are two different things, so we’re going to continue communicating,” Mr. Ford said.
The U.S. first imposed 25-per-cent tariffs on goods not covered by USMCA in March, and then as of Aug. 1 raised them to 35 per cent.
When those were first levied, Canada responded by announcing tariffs on a wide range of goods imported from the United States.
Canada also responded when the U.S. imposed 25-per-cent tariffs on steel and aluminum, and again when the U.S. put 25-per-cent tariffs on the auto sector.
Mr. Carney later announced time-limited relief for many Canadian businesses affected by the import taxes on U.S. goods, including the auto sector.
When Mr. Trump raised the steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 per cent, Mr. Carney did not increase retaliation, promising he would consider adjusting them depending on progress made in the broader trading arrangement with the U.S.
After the meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Ford said he raised the issue of countertariffs on U.S. steel with the Prime Minister.
He added that if “people are concerned about hitting back,” there are alternatives to further support Canadian steel producers, including increasing penalties on foreign steel from countries such as China as a way of encouraging Canadian companies to use domestic steel.