Premier Ford optimistic following talks with Lutnick in Washington

By Canadian Press on March 13, 2025.

WASHINGTON — Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has lowered the temperature on the ongoing trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump last month.

But there was no change to Trump’s punishing tariffs that have thrown markets on both sides of the border into disarray and are forcing layoffs in some of Canada’s critical industries like steel production.

Ford is in Washington with federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne to meet with Lutnick, at the end of another rollercoaster week in trade relations between the two countries.

On Tuesday, Trump threatened to double steel and aluminum duties on Canada in response to Ford slapping a 25 per cent surcharge on the province’s electricity exports to three U.S. states. Before the end of that day Ford backed off the surcharge and Trump backed down on doubling the steel and aluminum tariffs.

But still on Wednesday an additional 25 per cent import tariff was put on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S., including from Canada.

Canada responded with 25 per cent tariffs on another $29.8 billion worth of American goods, which took effect just after midnight Thursday. Canada last week applied 25 per cent tariffs to $30 billion in U.S. goods in response to the first round of tariffs from the U.S.

The meeting Thursday with Lutnick also included U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer, and other officials from Commerce. It was to last only an hour but went on much longer and Ford called it “extremely productive.”

“We shared a tremendous amount of use back and forth and I’m feeling very positive,” he told reporters on his way out of the meeting.

“And I just look forward reaching out again next week, but this I can honestly say it was the best meeting I’ve ever had coming down here.”

When asked why, he said it was because “we feel like the temperature has come down.”

But the outcome appeared largely to be agreement to have officials from both countries speak again next week.

LeBlanc and Champagne, who spoke separately from Ford at a news conference from the Canadian Embassy, also would provide few details of what was discussed.

“They understand the impact these tariffs are having,” Champagne said.

“We leave Washington I think better equipped in making sure we can defend Canadian interests.”

The ministers were not clear whether much will change in the relationship between the two countries after Mark Carney replaces Justin Trudeau as prime minister Friday.

Champagne said he expects Carney and Trump to have a conversation in the coming days.

Trump and Trudeau have had a difficult and often tumultuous relationship and Trump has goaded Trudeau for months now about Canada becoming the 51st state, referring to him repeatedly as “Governor Trudeau.”

The comments continued Wednesday as Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Washington.

“To be honest with you, Canada only works as a state,” Trump sad.

Trump called the international border between the two countries an “artificial line” and said there’s no chance he’ll relent on tariffs.

“Now there will be a little disruption … it won’t be very long,” he said. “But they need us, and we really don’t need them … We have to do this. I’m sorry. We have to do this.”

That issue was front and centre Thursday as the man set to become America’s top diplomat in Ottawa took questions at his congressional confirmation hearing.

When asked about Trump’s repeated annexation threats during his Senate confirmation hearing, Pete Hoekstra said that “Canada is a sovereign state.”

When senators asked him whether a “joke” about annexation is ever appropriate, Hoekstra said he could not comment on the president’s relationship with Trudeau.

If confirmed, the former Michigan congressman will become ambassador at a fraught time in U.S.-Canada relations. Since Trump’s November win, the president has targeted Canada repeatedly through his words and actions.

Trump has linked some tariffs to the flow of deadly fentanyl but Canadian officials have said the president’s goal is to use economic force to annex Canada.

Hoekstra told the hearing Trump has a series of priorities for Canada, which include freer trade and fighting the flow of fentanyl.

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen pushed back on Hoekstra, saying that the volume of fentanyl coming from Canada is minuscule and noting that Canada has one of the lowest tariff regimes.

Hoekstra later acknowledged “it’s not a huge amount” of fentanyl coming from Canada.

Shaheen’s state borders Canada and she said businesses there were operating according to the rules in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, also called CUSMA, which was negotiated by Trump during his first administration.

Shaheen said she’s fielded calls from business owners whose orders from Canada were cancelled as a result of Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press