ONTARIO, CANADA (WKBW) — Ontario's premier Doug Ford is threatening to cut off energy supplies to parts of the United States, including New York, if President-elect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on Canadian products.
"We will go to the full extent depending on how far this goes. We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy—going down to Michigan, going down to New York State, and over to Wisconsin," Ford warned.
Ford made this statement Wednesday after a meeting with other Canadian premiers hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss border issues.
"I don't want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontario," he added.
Ontario is the largest trading partner for 17 states and exports 4.1 terawatt-hours of energy to New York, which powers 500,000 homes.
"I don't think that we should think this is an empty threat. I mean, if we're going to see tariffs come on the order of 25%, it's only natural to expect that other countries would want to retaliate," said Tim Hellwig, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo. "Not only are Mexico and Canada our largest trading partners, but the types of things we trade with them are really key. They're inelastic—we can't do without some of these things."
Trump has threatened a 25% tax on Canada and Mexico over border concerns.
"To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. It's my favorite word," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg last month. "But tariffs are two things if you look at it. Number one is for the protection of the companies that we have here," he added.
In Washington, Congressman Tim Kennedy is urging Trump to reconsider the tariff threats.
"This is all very concerning. And this is a direct result of what will become an economic war with our greatest allies. It's just not necessary," Kennedy said. "I'm hoping for cooler heads to prevail on both sides so that we can move forward."
