Doug Ford says Ontario would respond to U.S. levies with tariff on electricity

By Canadian Press on February 25, 2025.

Doug Ford says a re-elected Progressive Conservative government will put a tariff on electricity the province sends to the United States in response to any levies President Donald Trump imposes on Canada or Ontario.

Ford made the comments at a campaign stop in Ottawa but gave no further details on the proposed tariff, or how it would fit in with his previously announced plan to cut off energy exports to the U.S. should Trump move forward with sweeping tariffs now set to kick in next week.

Trump said Monday the tariffs, which were pushed back to March 4 after Canada agreed to introduce new security measures at the border, are “going forward on time, on schedule.”

His executive order calls for 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy.

Ford has made economic stability in the face of possible tariffs the centrepiece of his campaign, arguing he needs a stronger mandate to navigate the next four years of a Trump presidency.

But the other party leaders have called the snap election unnecessary given that the Progressive Conservatives already held a majority and would have received support for stimulus measures.

Ford released his party’s official platform on Monday — just three days before election day — and it contains $40 billion worth of promises but not a full costing breakdown.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2025.

The Canadian Press