Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the federal government is not ruling out anything when it comes to the response to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s promised tariffs on Canadian imports.
LeBlanc made the comment to reporters following a meeting with Ontario Premier Doug Ford at Queen’s Park on Tuesday. His comments come just one day after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters that Alberta “won’t stand” for any attempt to block energy exports to the U.S., a measure that she speculated could lead to a “national unity crisis” if implemented.
“What we’ve said is that the only responsible thing for the national government is to acknowledge that all options are on the table, but at what point do we deploy what option at what level,” LeBlanc told reporters when asked specifically if his government was “in any way considering the restriction of Alberta oil to the United States.”
“I think we need to be ready to deploy all of the measures necessary to defend the Canadian economy but we are not going to publicly speculate on what is or isn’t an option. Let’s see what the Americans do next week.”
Ford has previously suggested cutting off the electricity that Ontario supplies to roughly 1.5 million homes in New York, Michigan and Minnesota in response to the tariffs, though he has cautioned that such a measure would only be done as a “last resort.”
The premiers of Quebec, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, meanwhile, have said they do not support Ford’s threat.
“Let me be very clear. I am speaking for Ontario. I am not speaking for Alberta, I am not speaking for Premier Smith but we (Ontario) have to use all the tools available,” Ford said on Monday.
“When our country is under attack economically, when our province is under attack economically, you just don’t roll over. Maybe I come from a different school, but I believe in negotiating through strength, not weakness.”
Border security plan ‘fabulous’: Ford
Trump has said that he will impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods on his first day in office next week, unless those countries can halt the illegal flow of drugs and migrants across the border.
Trump has not provided any specific benchmarks for what he is asking for at the border.
Ottawa, for its part, is promising to spend $1.3 billion to beef up border security over six years, with money funnelling to several agencies and organizations like the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP, though the specifics have yet to surface. On Tuesday, Ford called the plan “phenomenal” after previously suggesting that the feds “needed to get their act together” on the border.
“Minister LeBlanc laid out the plan, it’s a fabulous plan, let’s get out there and tell the people of Canada,” Ford said. “It’s a solid plan, and Minister (of Public Safety David) McGuinty will work hand in hand with people like Minister (Michael) Kerzner, our OPP, RCMP, CBSA, the U.S. Border Patrol, DEA, it’s a collective, collaborative group that will secure our borders.”
The five-pronged plan includes disrupting the fentanyl trade, new tools for law enforcement, enhancing operational coordination, increasing information sharing and minimizing unnecessary border volumes. The federal government also proposes using AI and imaging tools to assist with detecting illegal drugs as well as deploying new canine teams.
LeBlanc also previously said there will be additional human resources at the Canada-U.S. border, with the goal of recruiting 100 to 150 people between the RCMP and CBSA fairly soon.
On Tuesday, LeBlanc said he has made plans to visit the border in Windsor with Premier Ford and Kerzner, but it is unclear at this time when that will happen.
Premiers across Canada are set to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa to discuss the incoming economic threat from the U.S. on Wednesday.
With files from CTV News’ Parliamentary Bureau reporter Spencer Van Dyk and The Canadian Press