President Donald Trump said Monday that planned tariffs on Mexico and Canada will go into effect on Tuesday, and one Canadian leader is ready to retaliate.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is willing to shut off energy to the United States, the Toronto Sun reported Monday.
“If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,” Ford told reporters.
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"They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain," he said about electricity exports. "They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.”
“That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Ford added.
All American power grids except Texas are interconnected with Canadian provinces, the report said. New York, Michigan, and Minnesota are the three largest customers. Just Michigan swung for Donald Trump in last year's election.
Electricity sales to the U.S. are at an all-time high, with the U.S. paying out $5.8 billion to Canadian provinces, the report said, citing Canada energy regulators.
According to the Canada Energy Regulator, revenue from Canadian electricity sales to the U.S. topped $5.8 billion, an all-time high, with Quebec and Ontario leading other provinces in 2022.
“The provinces have a big say in it, but it’s the federal government that’s leading the charge, and we’re going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder no matter who’s in the federal government," said Ford.
“I (didn’t) start this tariff war, but we’re going to win this tariff war,” he added.
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would also impose a 25% tariff on U.S. goods coming into Canada in retaliation for Trump's tariffs, Reuters reported.
He also promised “precision strikes” against red states. According to the Wall Street Journal, whisky from Kentucky and Florida oranges will be impacted more severely than blue states.