‘A declaration of economic war’: Premiers react to U.S. tariffs

Starting Tuesday, the United States will impose across-the-board tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian goods and 10-per-cent tariffs on “energy resources.” The 25 per cent levy will also be placed on goods from Mexico, while Chinese goods will face an additional 10 per cent tariff. The Canadian government immediately announced retaliatory tariffs on many American products.

Here is how Canadian premiers reacted on Saturday.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Mr. Ford told CNN on Saturday evening that Mr. Trump “underestimates the resilience, the strength of the Canadian people.”

Mr. Ford, who has been on American TV networks in recent weeks advocating against tariffs, also pleaded with the U.S. President to “not lump us in with Mexico and China. We’re your closest ally,” he said, expressing bewilderment at the immensity of the economic attack Mr. Trump had authorized.

“Why President Trump would want to attack his largest customer, per se, largest trading partner, closest ally, that this goes back to all the way back to 1867?” Mr. Ford asked, referring to battles both countries fought together throughout the past century.

“We lost soldiers standing up for our family,” he said, “and we consider the U.S. part of our family.”

In a statement earlier in the day, Mr. Ford said the trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. “has made life better for millions of workers on both sides of the border” in the past decades and he repeated his calls for a strong response.

“Canada now has no choice but to hit back and hit back hard,” he said. “We need to maximize our points of leverage and use them to maximum effect,” Mr. Ford said. The Ontario Premier also called on the federal government to “pursue every legal route to challenge these unfair, unjustified and illegal tariffs.”

Mr. Ford warned that the coming weeks “will be incredibly difficult.” He said the tariffs will devastate Ontario’s economy and put 450,000 jobs at risk across every region and every sector of the province.

The Ontario Premier, who triggered an early election this past week, vowed to “invest tens of billions to retrain workers for new opportunities, retool companies for new customers, reshore supply chains and rebuild roads.”

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Quebec Premier François Legault

In a video statement posted on social media on Saturday evening, Quebec Premier François Legault said Mr. Trump’s tariffs will have a major impact on some of the province’s industries and could result in the loss of about 100,000 jobs in Quebec.

“This is going to have a major impact on the Canadian economy,” Mr. Legault said. “It could even change the face of the Canadian economy if it lasts for a while.”

Mr. Legault said the premiers were unanimous in supporting the federal government’s plan to impose 25 per cent tariffs on select American goods. He said he also asked Quebec’s treasury board to penalize U.S. companies bidding on public contracts.

“We must fight to protect our economy, to protect our jobs,” he said.

The Premier said hydroelectric and other infrastructure projects would be fast-tracked to create construction jobs and replace part of those eventually lost in the manufacturing sector. He said it would also be an opportunity for Quebec entrepreneurs to develop new products and enter new markets.

B.C. Premier David Eby

Mr. Eby said in video statement Saturday night that he had directed the BC Liquor Distribution Branch to immediately stop buying alcohol from what he described as “red states” and remove the most popular brands from shelves of government-owned BC Liquor Store outlets.

“We’re trying to send a message to specific decision makers,” he said.

Mr. Eby said he directed the province’s Crown corporations and health authorities to stop buying U.S. goods and services to buy Canadian instead. He added that he supports “a comprehensive, targeted” set of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

The B.C. Premier said Mr. Trump’s tariffs “are a complete betrayal of the historic bond between our countries.”

“It is a declaration of economic war against a trusted ally and friend,” Mr. Eby said, emphasizing the historical bond between the two countries and the economic harm that will result from the tariffs south of the border.

“Americans will find that their pasta is more expensive,” he said.

Mr. Eby said the province has identified 10 major projects that will be expedited, which he said would create more than 6,000 jobs in sectors including mining, renewable energy and natural gas.

Although B.C. is “the least trade-exposed province to the United States” because of its access to global markets, Mr. Eby said, the tariffs “will be profoundly damaging for B.C. families and businesses.” He said the province already planned missions to expand trade with countries in Asia and Europe.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

Ms. Smith, who has frequently clashed with Ottawa and other premiers about how Canada should respond, took credit for oil and gas being subject to a lower, 10 per cent tariff, which she said was partly due to her advocacy among U.S. officials.

The Premier said she was disappointed by the tariffs, stressing that they will hurt both Canadians and Americans. However, she stood firm in opposing any bans of Canadian exports or new levies on Canadian products headed for the United States. Ms. Smith refused to sign onto a memo from all premiers and Prime Minister last month because, she said, they would not rule out targeting oil exports.

She also repeated her call to do what Mr. Trump has demanded by appointing a border czar to co-ordinate policing against illegal migrants and drugs crossing the shared border, as well as increasing defence spending to achieve the NATO target of 2 per cent of GDP, which the country has consistently failed to reach.

“Alberta will also work collaboratively with the federal government and other provinces on a proportionate response to the imposed U.S. tariffs through the strategic use of Canadian import tariffs on U.S. goods that are more easily purchased from Canada and non-U.S. suppliers,” she said in a statement posted on social media. Ms. Smith called for funds raised from such tariffs to go to Canadians harmed by the U.S. duties.

She also urged Ottawa and other provinces to begin a process to fast-track the construction of new oil and gas pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals to increase capacity and diversify markets.

With reports from Jeffrey Jones and Nathan VanderKlippe