Adedokun Waliyu 
With five days left before President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration begins, Canada’s premiers are meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday.
The agenda for the meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will centre around the incoming president’s threats of punishing 25% tariffs, a response to Canada’s historically lax border and migrant policies.
After a meeting Tuesday with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc at Queen’s Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned the tariffs would be devastating to Ontario’s economy, potentially costing the province up to 500,000 jobs.
Ford was enthusiastic about the government’s plan following that meeting.
“I saw the plan for border security, it’s phenomenal,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday. “It is a solid, solid plan — we look forward to sitting with all the premiers tomorrow.”
While Ford is in favour of retaliating directly against the tariffs — including cutting vital electricity exports to Ontario-adjacent states — not all of his fellow premiers are on board.
Speaking Monday morning following a meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said weaponizing Canadian energy in a trade war isn’t the answer.
“Oil and gas is owned by the provinces, principally Alberta, and we won’t stand for that,” she said.
