Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he “can’t wait” for midterm elections in the United States, after a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs did little to alleviate trade pressure on the provincial economy.
A ruling from America’s top court on Friday concluded President Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs and duties on Canada related to fentanyl were unlawful, without touching sector-specific tariffs.
Tariffs imposed on steel, aluminum and autos, known as Section 232, are unaffected by the ruling. An additional 15 per cent tariff, which the president announced Saturday, largely does not impact Canadian products.
“The Supreme Court hasn’t changed, thankfully, anything here in Ontario or in Canada,” Premier Ford told reporters. “We’re still keeping an eye on Section 232, but don’t make no mistake about it. President Trump still has a lot of tools.”
Despite the broad strike-down of Trump’s tariffs, the levies that most impact Ontario remain in place.
Trump has imposed a series of other, sector-specific tariffs on several industries using Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act, which allows the president to address “excessive” foreign imports deemed a risk to national security.
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The law requires the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate those imports and reach a conclusion justifying the tariffs, which can take months to complete.
Section 232 tariffs have been imposed on steel, aluminum and copper at a rate of 50 per cent; automobiles, heavy trucks and auto parts not compliant with CUSMA at a 25 per cent rate; and some furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities at 25 per cent.
The auto and steel tariffs have already had major impacts on the provincial economy. Multiple vehicle investments in Ontario have been paused or suspended, while Algoma Steel laid off more than 1,000 workers last year.
A 10 per cent tariff was also imposed on softwood lumber under Section 232, on top of existing and separate anti-dumping duties.
The premier appeared again on CNN on Monday as part of his drive to convince American voters and elected officials to lobby on Canada’s and Ontario’s behalf.
It’s a strategy the provincial government has been pursuing for more than a year without yet seeing movement on tariffs. Ford has cancelled a contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink, removed American alcohol from the LCBO and visited Washington D.C.
The premier has said the hope of that strategy is to work around Trump’s unpredictability.
“It’s very challenging right now,” he said. “I just sit back some days, and I’m not the only one, everyone in the world sits back, (wondering) how can one person, one man create so much turmoil around the world? Not just here in Canada, around the globe. It’s pretty, pretty staggering. So, I can’t wait for the midterms.”
— with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton
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