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Ontario premier Doug Ford
whose electricity tariff threat provoked President Donald Trump to double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminium from 25 per cent to 50 per cent for Canada apologized to the American people as he announced that he would not back down. “We will not back down. We will be relentless. I apologize to the American people that President Trump decided to have an unprovoked attack on our country, on our families, on jobs, and it’s unacceptable. Let’s work together,” Ford said appearing on MSNBC after Trump's mega tariff war.
“Believe me when I say I do not want to do this, I feel terrible for the American people, because it’s not the American people who started this trade war. It’s one person who’s responsible. That’s President Trump.”
Canada supplies half of US aluminium imports and 20 per cent of US steel imports. Trump announced that he would increase tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports by an additional 25 per cent for a total of 50 per cent duties on those commodities for the neighbor.
Tariff vs tariff
Ford Monday said he would impose a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports to three US states New York, Minnesota and Michigan as the tariff war has been continuing since Donald Trump took office is showing no sign of de-escalating. Canada now has a new prime minister but Trump wants Canada to become the 51st state. Ford earlier said he would shut off the power to the US if this continues.
Threats backfire but for whom
Ford's threats backfired as Trump announced new tariffs but US markets too bore the brunt of the tariff war amid recession apprehension. Trump said he will be declaring a National Emergency on Electricity in those three states so that US can quickly do what has to be done to alleviate the abusive threat from Canada.
'Be 51st state'
The tariff war started as Trump accused Canada of doing nothing to arrest the free flow of drugs and illegal migrants through the border. But Trump in his latest threat reiterated that the solution lies in Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States -- which started as a Mar-a-Lago dinner table joke but has now become an issue of grave concern.
"The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear. Canadians’ taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem, and the greatest and most powerful nation in the World will be bigger, better and stronger than ever — And Canada will be a big part of that. The artificial line of separation drawn many years ago will finally disappear, and we will have the safest and most beautiful Nation anywhere in the World — And your brilliant anthem, “O Canada,” will continue to play, but now representing a GREAT and POWERFUL STATE within the greatest Nation that the World has ever seen!" Trump reiterated.
'Canada will pay financial price so big...'
In his threat, Trump wondered why the United States allows Canada to supply electricity even for the three states. "Who made these decisions, and why? And can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat? They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!" Trump said.
