Ontario premier Doug Ford is standing his ground in his quest for a fair trade deal, countering recent insults from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with a broader view that free trade is good for both Canada and the U.S.
“I’ll never back down from fighting for a fair trade deal that helps workers and families on both sides of the border,”
on Thursday.
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that Ford shared on X, the premier also proclaimed the love that Canadians have for Americans and professed an understanding that Americans also love Canadians.
However, that didn’t change his defiant response to Lutnick and his disparaging comments on Wednesday about Canada, ahead of Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade negotiations.
“Mr. Lutnick can say whatever he wants,” Ford said in the CNN interview. “We just have to move forward and make a deal.”
Tariffs on Canada are only making life more expensive for American families. I’ll never back down from fighting for a fair trade deal that helps workers and families on both sides of the border. pic.twitter.com/2skI3lTZ4Z
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 23, 2026
He addressed allegations that Canada has taken advantage of the U.S. by citing several numbers about any “imbalance” favouring Canada. “If we didn’t ship four million barrels down to keep people moving in their cars and trucks, there’d be a $30-million (American) surplus.”
With regard to U.S. trade interactions with Ontario, he said “nine million American wake up every morning to produce a product…or service just for Ontario. And the more tariffs that come, you’re just taxing American people.”
Listing the oil, cars and goods being sold to the U.S., he argued that the cost of “everything is increasing because of the tariffs.”
Ford advocated for an even better trade deal than the one already in place. Contrary to Lutnick’s recent insults, such as saying
Ford countered: “We won’t be calling you names. I can guarantee that.”
As previously reported by
, there was a tense exchange Wednesday between Lutnick and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, during his testimony before the Senate appropriations subcommittee.
Shaheen has been a Democratic senator from New Hampshire since 2009 and was the state’s governor between 1997 and 2003. She noted that tourism is the second-largest industry in New Hampshire, but it has suffered with decline in international visitors, particularly from Canada, which fell 30 per cent last year.
She pinned the drop on “the loss of trust and goodwill because of this administration’s rhetoric around Canada … and because of the insults from (the) president, and comments like yours.”
She insisted that a good trade deal will be predicated on good relations: “(W)e are not going to get agreement when we keep insulting people. When we have allies and partners, we should try and work with them, not insult them.”
They clashed over the decision taken by Canadian provinces, in the wake of U.S. tariffs, not to stock U.S. alcohol on provincial liqour store shelves.
Lutnick called the policy “insulting and disrespectful to America.”
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Asked about that, Ford said: “What’s disrespectful is we never started this trade war.” Nor did the American people, he added. Instead, he insists it was Lutnick and Trump “who attacked our joint economies … we are so integrated.”
He illustrated that by pointing to the positive impact of Canadian oil and uranium for the American energy economy, as well as Ontario nickel for U.S. manufacturing. He also added the fact that Ontario sends electricity to 1.5 million homes and businesses in New York state, Michigan and Minnesota.
Meanwhile, he added that “no country” buys more from the U.S. than Canada “and vice-versa. We are each other’s number one customer.”
Yet, when one “particular family member (President Trump) attacks our country, that’s a problem, but we don’t hold it against the American people.” However, he noted “it’s unfortunate” Canadians feel the need to boycott the U.S. and not spend “tens of billions of dollars” in tourism in the U.S.
“This can come to a quick end. Everyone can thrive and prosper.”
Ford made the same arguments later on Thursday during an interview on ABC News.
The host stated that “politics with Trump always gets personal every single time” and when asked whether his “beef” with Trump is “too big” to repair, Ford responded he is not interested in getting personal.
The fastest way to get American alcohol back onto store shelves – and create jobs and opportunity in both our countries – is for the U.S. to drop its tariffs on Canada. pic.twitter.com/X3AHG8dHZ8
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 23, 2026
Instead, he said, he would simply counter with “facts.
As with the CNN interview, Ford urged Trump to “take a page” out of late U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s book and push for “opening up” trade and boosting economies.
Reagan “wasn’t about killing trade. (He) was about expanding trade … the whole world would be better, (as well as) the relationship between Canada and the U.S.”
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