Ford calls on Canadians to 'fight like we've never fought before' amid Trump threats

Muriel Draaisma · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 5:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Canadians should "fight similar we've ne'er fought before" to basal up for Canada successful the look of "51st state" remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ford, who spoke astatine The Valuing Reconciliation successful Global Markets Conference successful downtown Toronto, said Monday that Trump's comments that explicit a tendency to crook Canada into the 51st American authorities undermine Canadian sovereignty.

 "Folks, we person 2 choices present arsenic a corporate country," Ford said astatine the Sheraton Centre Hotel.

"We either each set unneurotic and enactment each different oregon we beryllium backmost and get rolled implicit by President Trump with a cement mixer. That's enactment one. Option two, we each combat similar we've ne'er fought before. I instrumentality enactment two. We'll ne'er rotation over. We'll never, ever beryllium the 51st state, and I tin archer you, Canada volition ne'er beryllium for sale, especially for anyone, but not President Trump."

Ford drew a favoritism betwixt Trump and the American people.

"He's the problem," Ford said.

Ford said Trump has created "turmoil and chaos" successful markets astir the satellite done tariffs and that successful crook has led to "economic uncertainty" hurting workers and businesses. The U.S. has applied 25 per cent tariffs to Canadian automobiles and 25 per cent tariffs connected Canadian alloy and aluminum products.

The premier said Ontario must rethink however it protects the provincial economy.

"We tin nary longer trust connected the United States. Instead, we request to marque Ontario much self-reliant and much resilient," helium said.

Trump comments connected Canadian predetermination arsenic polls open

Conference delegates applauded Ford's comments, which came aft Trump took to societal media level Truth Social on Monday greeting to explicit his tendency for Canada to articulation the U.S. 

"Good luck to the Great radical of Canada," Trump said, commenting connected the Canadian predetermination minutes earlier polls opened.

"Elect the antheral who has the spot and contented to chopped your taxes successful half, summation your subject power, for free, to the highest level successful the World, person your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and each different businesses, QUADRUPLE successful size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America," Trump continued.

"No much artificially drawn enactment from galore years ago. Look however beauteous this onshore wide would be. Free entree with NO BORDER. ALL POSITIVES WITH NO NEGATIVES. IT WAS MEANT TO BE! America tin nary longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a twelvemonth that we person been spending successful the past. It makes nary consciousness unless Canada is simply a State!"

In caller months, Ford has appeared connected U.S. web shows to explicate however U.S. tariffs wounded not lone Canada but besides the U.S.

On its website, the league says it brings unneurotic industry, government, and Indigenous-owned corporations to analyse however businesses are achieving occurrence by partnering with Indigenous Peoples and respecting their rights.