Premier Ford warns Trump could reopen CUSMA trade pact in the fall

OTTAWA – Ontario Premier Doug Ford is warning that U.S. President Donald Trump could choose to suddenly “pull the carpet out from underneath us” by opening up the trade agreement his administration negotiated with Canada during his first term.

He said Ottawa needs to prepare for that to happen this fall.

Ford made the comments after the country’s premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney met in private for the first time since Trump escalated his trade war by hitting Canada with a baseline 35 per cent tariff last week.

e new tariff, which took effect on Friday after the two countries failed to hit an Aug. 1 deadline to secure a new trade agreement, applies only to goods not covered by the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement on free trade, better known as CUSMA.

Ford said Trump likely won’t wait for the scheduled review of the agreement next year.

“He’s not waiting until 2026. At any given time, President Trump — not that he even follows the rules — he can pull the carpet out from underneath us on CUSMA tomorrow with one signature,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park in Toronto Wednesday afternoon as he called for swift action to bolster the economy.

“So let’s be prepared. I think it’ll be coming in November. He’s going to come at us with double barrels, so we better be ready and throw everything and the kitchen sink at this.”

A readout from the Prime Minister’s Office shared Wednesday evening said Carney updated the premiers on the status of trade negotiations with the U.S. during the meeting, noting that while Canada continues to negotiate with the United States on the countries’ trading relationship, “the impacts of tariffs remain present across the Canadian economy.”

It said Carney and Canada’s premiers spoke about concrete actions to support Canadian workers and businesses most impacted by tariffs.

The readout said the group agreed to “accelerate efforts to mobilize capital and investment, diversify supply chains, and strengthen domestic production capacity.”

“They were also unanimous in encouraging Canadian businesses to prioritize and leverage Canadian expertise, where possible, to help alleviate the short-term economic impacts of U.S. tariffs, reduce dependence on vulnerable trade flows, and build Canada’s long-term economic resilience,” it said.

The readout said Carney emphasized that the federal government remains determined to secure “the best deal for Canadians.”

Ontario is at odds with Saskatchewan over Canada’s response to the escalating trade war. Ford has called for immediate retaliation, while Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is urging Ottawa to dial down its retaliatory tariffs.

“Maybe it’s time for Canada even to at least not add additional counter-tariffs in this space, but to even consider removing some of the counter-tariffs that are harmful to Canadian businesses and Saskatchewan businesses today,” Moe said during a radio interview earlier Wednesday, adding the country is currently largely “protected” under the CUSMA trade pact.

Ahead of the meeting with Carney, Ford said he’s frustrated by the impacts of high U.S. tariffs on his province’s economy and called again for retaliatory tariffs.

“You can’t have tariffs on one side and not the other. I still stand by what I say — dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff. They understand strength, not weakness, and we should never, ever roll over and be weak,” Ford told reporters at a news conference Wednesday in Thornhill, Ont.

Ford said he told Carney and the premiers that if Ottawa chooses not to hike tariffs in its response, the threshold at which steel products become subject to tariffs should be lowered.

“If people are concerned about hitting back, well, then there’s the other alternative. Let’s lower the quota for companies. When they come in, they get tariffs immediately,” Ford said following the meeting with Carney.

Moe said his province is working to protect industries that are being hit hard by tariffs, including the steel sector.

“What we’ve done is pull forward a significant amount — 10 years, actually — of Crown procurement to support the steel industries here in Saskatchewan,” he said.