News Desk, The Cradle.
Ontario says ready to cut energy, critical minerals to US.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Trump is trying to destroy Canada’s auto industry and move it south to the US.
US President Donald Trump threatened on 24 August to impose 50 percent tariffs on additional Canadian products after Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford warned Canada could cut exports of electricity and critical minerals to the US.
Trump said in an online post on Monday that tariffs on Canadian automobiles, car parts, and steel will increase to 50 percent on 1 January.
Fifty percent tariffs already took effect on Saturday on $28 billion in Canadian goods after trade talks between the US president and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney collapsed on Friday due to “last-minute” US demands.
Trump’s announcement came after Ford said in an interview with AP on Monday that Canada should be prepared to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the US in response to the trade war.
“You won’t get a grain of sand out of Ontario,” Ford said.
He also called for Canada to consider using oil and potash as leverage.
The US relies on critical minerals to produce aircraft, missiles, munitions and electronics. Washington is seeking to reduce its dependence on China for such minerals, making Canada even more important as a supplier.
Ford said that Trump has underestimated the willingness of Canadians to endure economic pain.
“He underestimates Canada. We’re all in,” Ford said. “Up here, we’re at a fever pitch, everyone’s in for an economic war. They know they’re going to have to sacrifice.”
Ford accused Trump of seeking not simply a better trade deal but to wipe out Canadian industries, in particular its auto industry, which is centered in Ontario.
“He wants to bleed out every single sector and bring them down to the US,” Ford said.
The Ontario premier stated that trade talks collapsed on Friday after Washington demanded that Ottawa receive approval from the US when negotiating trade agreements with other countries.
Prime Minister Carney has called that demand unacceptable and an infringement of Canadian sovereignty.
“Who does he think he is?” Ford said of Trump. “You gotta be kidding.”
Carney has sought to expand trade between Canada and China since coming to office in March 2025.
In January, Ottawa and Beijing reached a preliminary trade arrangement to increase Canadian exports to China by 50 percent by 2030. Carney signed the agreement during a visit to Beijing as part of a broader strategy to reduce Canada’s dependence on the US market.
As part of the deal, Canada agreed to allow an initial 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles per year into the Canadian market at the normal 6.1 percent tariff rate, down from the previous 100 percent surtax. Ottawa also agreed to slash surtaxes on Chinese steel and aluminum.
For its part, Beijing agreed to drastically reduce or suspend tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, including canola meal, peas, lobster, and crab. It also agreed to reopen some access to the Chinese market for Canadian beef and other products.
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