Ontario Premier Doug Ford is imploring Mark Carney not to lift tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles as the prime minister heads to Beijing in a bid to build relations.
It’s been a long-standing request of the premier, who is looking to keep Ontario’s struggling, fledgling electric vehicle industry intact in the face of massive pressure from the United States and growing economic concern.
Ford told reporters on Tuesday he hadn’t spoken to Carney before his China trip to remind him of his request, but planned to text him in a bid to avoid any softening of the economic measures.
One hundred per cent tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles were introduced by the federal government in 2024. In response, China slapped reciprocal tariffs on Canadian canola and pork, which Saskatchewan and Manitoba have complained are harming agriculture in their provinces.
China charges a 76 per cent tariff on Canadian canola seed imports and a 100 per cent tariff on canola oil, meal and peas.
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The two tariffs have set up competing provincial interests that pit Ontario against the Prairies.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who has visited China before and is now on the trip with Carney, has repeatedly called for the tariffs to be removed. He has said they damage an already established agricultural sector in favour of a barely begun electric vehicle economy.
The Ford government, on the other hand, has poured billions into incentives to attract EV projects to Ontario and believes the tariffs are necessary to keep its vision moving along.
“I’m absolutely 100 per cent dead against this,” Ford said, acknowledging he had not yet repeated his concerns to Carney. “I’ll reach out to him and text message and just tell them our concerns.”
The premier has softened his stance somewhat recently, saying he would be open to a Chinese company setting up a production facility in Ontario for its electric vehicles.
“If they’re willing to come here and invest in a plant just like GM, Stellantis, Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and come here and manufacture, create jobs and create parts here, well, now we’re on a whole different page,” he said.
Asked if he knew of any Chinese companies willing to make the move, Ford indicated conversations hadn’t begun.
“We’ll have to see,” he said. “I’m going to sit down with the prime minister when he gets back, find out what the conversation is, and we’ll go from there.”
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