Canadian Premier slaps major tax increase on electricity for Americans amid Donald Trump’s new tariffs
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has hit back at Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada by revealing the province will charge 25 percent more for electricity.
President Donald Trump wasted no time signing off on multiple executive orders after being sworn in as the 47th president of the US in January, with one order signed in February imposing ‘catastrophic’ tariffs – including 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, and 20 percent on China.
With Trump suggesting the only solution for Canada to avoid the tariffs being it becoming the US’ ‘cherished 51st state,’ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by revealing counter-tariffs alongside warning the country was ‘in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures’.
Premier of Ontario Doug Ford later threatened to shut off the power to 1.5 million US customers.
He told reporters if the US wants to ‘try to annihilate Ontario’ he will do ‘everything – including cutting off their energy with a smile on [his] face,’ and hit back ‘twice as hard’.
Despite apologizing to the American people and clarifying it’s not them but ‘[their] president that’s causing the problem,’ Ford has since unveiled the latest response to Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
In a news conference held in Toronto, Ford has since revealed Ontario – which provides electricity to Minnesota, New York and Michigan – will start charging 25 percent more for electricity.
And that’s not necessarily the end of it either.
Doug Ford has unveiled a 25 percent surcharge on electricity supplied to the US (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
The new market rules will require any generator of electricity to add a 25 percent surcharge on electricity it sells to the US.
This is estimated as bringing in from CA $300,000-400,000 per day and the revenue is reported as being ‘used to support Ontario workers, families and businesses’.
Ford warned, as quoted by AP News: “I will not hesitate to increase this charge. If the United State escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely.
“Believe me when I say I do not want to do this. I feel terrible for the American people who didn’t start this trade war. It’s one person who is responsible, it’s President Trump.”
The 25 percent electricity surcharge follows Prime Minister Trudeau’s unveiling of counter-tariffs against the US of ’25 percent tariffs against CA $155 billion of American goods’.
Ford blames Donald Trump for the major tax increase (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
He said the response would begin with ‘tariffs on CA $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and tariffs on the remaining CA $125 billion on American products’ 21 days after it was first announced.
Trump’s 25 perfect tariffs were delayed for a month before coming into effect on March 4, however, last week the President of the US then decided to pause some of the tariffs again with plans to bring them back in again in April.
While Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum decided to respond by pausing retaliatory tariffs, Trudeau’s said Canada’s measures will remain in place.