Ontario Premier Ford Announces Plan to 'Onshore' Steel Manufacturing Amid Trump Tariff Escalation

Premier Doug Ford appeared once again on American television Wednesday morning, expressing visible frustration with U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to escalate tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Speaking candidly on CNN, Ford said he was “dumbfounded” by the administration’s latest move, which imposes an additional 25 per cent levy on these key industrial products entering the United States.

The Premier did not mince words, describing the tariff increase as a “tax” on American-made goods that will ultimately burden American consumers and workers. “We know that costs of any product with steel in them in the U.S. has gone up 16 per cent,” Ford said. He pointed to Canada’s robust steel manufacturing capabilities, especially in Ontario, and revealed plans to boost domestic production in response to the new American restrictions. “We’re going to onshore it and start producing it ourselves,” he vowed, emphasizing a shift toward self-sufficiency rather than reliance on U.S. imports.

President Trump signed the executive order on Tuesday, claiming the protectionist measures were necessary to safeguard national security and support struggling industries at home. While some American steelmakers have welcomed the move, Ford dismissed their enthusiasm as “short-sighted” and warned that Canada’s response could deal a blow to tens of thousands of American jobs. “When we start onshoring $30 billion, impacting tens of thousands of jobs in the steel sector in the U.S., they are going to wake up quickly,” Ford asserted. He added that officials are already compiling a list of steel products currently imported from the U.S., with an eye to manufacturing them domestically as soon as possible.

The Premier was quick to clarify, however, that Canada does not seek to harm its southern neighbor. Instead, he pitched a collaborative approach: “Why don’t we have a goal together and say we’re going to produce more steel with America and Canada, and we’re gonna create 250,000 new steel jobs? That’s what we need to do, rather than penalize Canada.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has also entered the fray, denouncing the new tariffs as “unlawful and unjustified” while promising to consider Canada’s next steps carefully. “We will take some time — not much, some time — because we are in intensive discussions right now with the Americans on our trading relationship,” Carney said, signaling that a decision on retaliatory measures could come soon.

Ford, for his part, showed less patience, telling CNN he advised the Prime Minister to “slap another 25 per cent on top of our tariffs to equal President Trump’s tariffs on our steel.” The possibility of escalating trade tensions adds uncertainty to an already strained bilateral relationship. “It just seems with President Trump it’s five steps forward and ten steps backwards and that doesn’t help the situation,” Ford remarked, lamenting the unpredictability that has characterized recent negotiations. “It’s unfortunate that he’s taking this route against Canada.”