Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he’s dead serious about withholding energy exports to the U.S. if president-elect Donald Trump goes ahead with his plan to hit Canadian goods with steep tariffs that could cripple the economy.
Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park, Ford said Ontario sends energy — mostly electricity — to power 1.5 million U.S. homes in states like Michigan, Minnesota and New York. He said he would cut off that supply if Trump follows through on his tariff threat.
“We’re sending a message to the U.S. You come and attack Ontario, you attack the livelihoods of Ontario and Canadians, we’re going to use every tool in our toolbox to defend Ontarians and Canadians across the border,” Ford said.
Ford said he doesn’t want to fight with the U.S. — in fact, he said he wants to do more business with the Americans.
Cutting off electricity would be a “last resort,” he said, but one he wouldn’t hesitate to deploy if Canada can’t broker a deal with Trump.
“They’re not our enemy, they’re our allies,” Ford said of the Americans.
“We can’t just roll over while we’re under attack.”
Premier Doug Ford, who recently threatened to cut off U.S. access to power from Ontario if incoming president Donald Trump imposed tariffs, did not provide specifics on how that might work — but said the statement showed his government’s willingness to use every tool available to protect Canadian livelihoods.
Data from Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the Crown corporation responsible for electricity exports to the U.S., reveals just how much is at stake for the states that depend on the province to power many of their homes and businesses.
Ontario exported 17,500 gigawatt hours of electricity in 2022 — 9,068 of it went to Michigan and 4,823 to New York, according to IESO. Another 275 gigawatts went to Minnesota. One gigawatt of electricity is enough to power 100 million LED light bulbs.
If Ontario were to shut off that supply, it would leave some U.S. states scrambling to source electricity from other places — a potentially difficult proposition.
CBC News has asked the governors of Michigan, New York and Minnesota to comment on Ford’s threat but hasn’t heard back.
Ford said he will speak to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and New York Governor Kathy Hochul later Thursday. He said those conversations had been scheduled earlier and were not prompted by his threat to cut off energy exports.
After Ford first floated his plan to cut off those exports, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday that premiers across the country are drawing up plans to respond to Trump’s threatened tariffs.
They are identifying critical minerals and metals their provinces and territories export to the U.S. that could be the subject of trade action if Trump does deliver on his plan, Freeland said.
“We would be derelict in our duties to Canada if we were not talking about, thinking about, working on how Canada would respond,” she said.
A spokesperson for federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said they had nothing else to say beyond what Freeland said Wednesday.
It’s not clear if Ontario could unilaterally curb electricity exports, or whether it would require Ottawa’s approval. Under the Constitution, provinces and territories are responsible for electricity systems within their borders.
Ford, who is also representing the country’s premiers as the current chair of the Council of the Federation, said he told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Freeland last night on a call that he would like to see the federal government launch an ad campaign in the U.S. to dissuade Trump from following through his promised tariffs.
Ontario already has launched a campaign of its own, with TV ads that will reach 100 million households in January, Ford said.