‘Ontario does not control international trade,’ Toronto expert casts doubts on Doug Ford’s threat to cut energy to the U.S.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to leave over one million Americans without power by cutting off energy to the U.S., in retaliation to president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats. But a Toronto professor doubts the premier would actually be able to enforce that. 

Ford’s comments followed a meeting with other Canadian premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday, where the ministers discussed strategies to tackle the potential tariffs on Canadian imports. The premier told the media at a press conference that Canadians should be prepared and ready to fight once Trump is inaugurated into the White House. 

“If they come at us, we have to stand up for Canadians,” the premier said. 

“We’ll use every tool of our toolbox … This is coming. It’s not IF, it IS coming. And it’s coming January 20 and 21 and we need to be prepared. We need to stand as a country.”

Ford also mentioned that Ontario is the number one exporter to 17 states and second to 11 states. He warned that Canadians won’t be the only ones impacted by the tariff implementation. 

“At the end of the day, the consumer gets hurt, Canadians get hurt. But I can assure you one thing, the Americans are going to feel pain as well,” he said. 

“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.”

However,  University of Toronto political science Professor Nelson Wiseman is skeptical about Ford’s ability to put his remarks into action. 

“I do not believe Ontario could unilaterally stop electricity exports to the U.S. without Ottawa’s approval. Similarly, Michigan cannot unilaterally stop the flow of western Canadian natural gas to eastern Canada without Washington’s approval,” Wiseman said to Now Toronto in an email statement on Thursday. 

Wiseman noted that the province does not have the power to amend federal agreements, and emphasized that a stoppage like one Ford suggests would have to go through Parliament first. 

“Ontario’s government does not control international trade, but it may regulate a provincial industry such as a mining company so that its production is frozen. That would mean Canadian customers could also not purchase the product,” he said. 

“In my opinion, the Ontario government cannot unilaterally change a procurement policy that Ottawa has negotiated with another country,” Wiseman added. 

In late November, Trump vowed that one of his first orders once sworn in as president will be to apply a 25 per cent tariff charge on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. The president-elect centred crime and drugs as his reasoning, alleging that the North American countries are bringing fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the U.S. Since his warning, Trump has consistently mocked Canada and Trudeau, referring to the country as the “51st state of the U.S.” and misnaming the prime minister a “governor.” 

Ford said the ministers meeting addressed Canada’s vow to enhance border security, and mentioned resources like more border patrol, canine dogs, and drones to be supplied in the face of Trump’s threats.