Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from an Ontario-headquartered company selling military vehicles to immigration enforcement in the United States, a few weeks after he called the agreement “fantastic.”
Reports emerged at the end of last year that the U.S. government planned to order 20 Senator vehicles for its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, a move worth roughly $10 million.
The Senators are armoured tactical vehicles used by Ukraine in its war with Russia, made by Roshel, a company headquartered in Brampton, Ont. The Americans plan to sole-source them from the company because it can complete the order within 30 days.
Asked about the order in December 2025, Ford said it was “fantastic” news — praising the company and urging the federal government to place an order as well.
The premier appeared to walk back his endorsement at an unrelated event on Tuesday, as ICE enforcement, particularly in Minneapolis, dominates the news cycle.
“I’m going to correct this story once and for all. I heard it on the news. I don’t direct companies to sell military vehicles down south or around the world,” Ford said.
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He reiterated his call for the federal government to procure more made-in-Ontario vehicles for the military.
“We did not buy these vehicles, I did not know about these vehicles,” Ford added.
“We don’t have anything to do with what crosses the border…. I don’t know where this came from, to be very frank with you, it’s on social media.”
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the contract — which does not involve the provincial government in any capacity — should not be fulfilled.
“ICE has been unleashing lawlessness in the streets and killing civilians in broad daylight,” she said in a statement. “It’s disappointing that the Premier celebrated this contract, because we know that their actions don’t align with our values here in Ontario, and across Canada.”
Scrutiny of immigration enforcement in the U.S. and how ICE officers are operating has increased after Alex Pretti was shot dead on Saturday, three weeks after Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent.
Saturday’s killing of Pretti, which happened the day after Minnesotans called a general strike in protest of ICE, ignited further political backlash from the public, local officials, civil rights advocates and congressional Democrats, who raised fresh questions about the way the federal agency conducts its operations and doubled down on demands that agents leave the state.
— with files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman
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