Ford talks to Carney, premiers ahead of trade meeting in Washington on Thursday

Allison Jones · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 10:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and national Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc suggested Wednesday they privation to travel retired of a gathering with a apical U.S. authoritative with a "coherent plan" for the tariff roadworthy ahead.

The pair, on with Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the United States, are acceptable to conscionable Thursday successful Washington, D.C., with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who invited Ford connected Tuesday amid a large ratcheting up — past down — of the commercialized warfare betwixt the 2 countries.

The Canadian politicians said they anticipation for a cordial gathering that volition instrumentality the somesthesia down, though it volition travel aft Lutnick and U.S. President Donald Trump made comments referring to Ford arsenic "some feline successful Ontario" and his "little threat" to enactment a surcharge connected energy exports to the U.S.

"I said, 'This volition beryllium won successful 1 hour,' and (we) announced what we were going to bash and they withdrew their small threat," Trump said Wednesday.

The U.S. has imposed tariffs of 25 per cent connected alloy and aluminum imports effectual Wednesday and the Canadian authorities announced tariffs connected U.S. goods worthy astir $30 cardinal successful retaliation.

Trump had threatened Tuesday to acceptable the alloy and aluminum tariff astatine 50 per cent successful effect to Ontario placing a surcharge connected energy it exports to 3 U.S. states, but some sides agreed to backmost disconnected those moves aft Lutnick offered the meeting.

'It's astir gathering the relationship,' Ford says

Ford said helium expects to speech astir the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement with Lutnick and hopes to determination up a reappraisal of the USMCA acceptable for adjacent year.

"I privation to marque definite everyone understands the anticipation is to spell down there, physique that relationship, speech astir the USMCA," helium said Wednesday extracurricular his office.

"We aren't walking distant with the USMCA, but for years being successful business, it's each astir gathering the relationship, knowing what they require, what our needs are, and determination forward."

Ford besides said helium wants an extremity to the frenetic tariff back-and-forth.

"I privation to find retired wherever their barroom is set," helium said. "Rather than support moving the goalpost, I privation to find retired however rapidly you privation to determination guardant and spot what their requirements are."

Meeting astir 'lowering the temperature,' LeBlanc says

LeBlanc, however, said helium does not spot Thursday's gathering arsenic 1 astir the USMCA. He hopes to speech astir the tariffs that are successful spot present and others that are acceptable to travel into effect April 2.

"The speech time volition beryllium astir lowering the somesthesia and focusing connected the process that President Trump acceptable up wherever Secretary Lutnick has up to April 2 to find a bid of planetary tariff decisions," helium said.

But if 1 of the 3 parties to the USMCA wants to statesman a reappraisal earlier than 2026, Canada is ready, LeBlanc said.

"We've ever said the champion attack is simply a coherent speech that looks astatine each of these issues, wherever the 3 economies are portion of the conversation, and wherever we tin get astatine the champion statement for North America," helium said.

"That's been the occurrence of erstwhile conversations, but for the moment, it's hard to get there, due to the fact that time implicit day, week implicit week, you person these decisions. So if we tin benignant of wide the underbrush and get to a presumption wherever we tin get to April 2 with a coherent plan, I surely deliberation that would beryllium the nonsubjective of the speech tomorrow."

Lutnick told Fox Business helium expects to person a "nice conversation" with Ford to "lower the temperature" and volition prevention the details for erstwhile Canada has a caller premier curate aft a perchance looming election.

"I deliberation it's conscionable to level-set things, marque definite we cognize each other," Lutnick said. "And past we are going to negociate with each of Canada, truthful evidently we are going to hold for determination to beryllium a caller premier curate and past we're going to talk."

Those comments travel aft others Lutnick made the erstwhile time to CBS, describing Trump's menace to summation the alloy and aluminum tariffs to 50 per cent arsenic a maneuver to "break immoderate feline successful Ontario" who enactment a surcharge connected energy.

Ford met Carney Wednesday greeting to speech trade

Ford brushed speech those remarks, saying the U.S. tin telephone the extremity effect a triumph if they want.

"Whatever," helium said. "They're playing politics. (It's neither) present nor there."

The premier met Wednesday greeting with premier minister-designate Mark Carney to sermon tariffs and escaped trade. The 2 had a productive discussion, agreeing connected the request to basal steadfast successful the look of Trump's tariffs, Ford said.

Having Carney arsenic the premier curate could assistance crook a leafage successful the Canada-U.S. relationship, Ford predicted.

"It's going to beryllium a amended narration than with Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau and nary disrespect to Prime Minister Trudeau, I tin archer you 1 thing, Mark Carney (has an) highly astute concern mind," helium said.

"He understands numbers, and truthful does President Trump and Secretary Lutnick. I deliberation they're going to get on precise well. They some travel from the aforesaid fiscal sectors."

Ford, who is caput of the radical of Canada's 13 premiers, besides had a telephone Wednesday greeting with the different provincial leaders. He said helium would get proposal from his counterparts up of the discussion.