Ontario Premier Doug Ford says that U.S. President Donald Trump “remains relentless in his campaign to create a more unstable, unsafe and uncertain world.”
Ford made the comment during a news conference alongside auto sector leaders at Queen’s Park on Wednesday morning.
The comment comes after Trump delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he reiterated his desire to take control of Greenland and warned Canada only “lives” because of the United States.
“Over the last few days we have watched as President Trump has threatened Greenland, he has threatened Canada and he has threatened NATO allies,” Ford said. “President Trump remains relentless in his campaign to create a more unstable unsafe and uncertain world. There has never been a more important time for team Canada to stay united.”
Trump said during his speech that Canada gets many “freebies” from the U.S. and “should be grateful.”
He also took issue with a speech made by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, noting he “wasn’t so grateful.”
Asked specifically about Trump’s comments on Wednesday, Ford called them “disappointing” but “typical President Trump.”
Ford then alluded to a Truth Social Post from Trump in the early hours of Tuesday morning, which featured an altered image in which the U.S. flag was shown covering parts of North and South America, including Canada, Greenland and Venezuela.
“It is disappointing to see him on a full attack. Putting the American flag over Canada, over Greenland, it is unacceptable the way he speaks,” Ford said.
Ford has repeatedly criticized Trump since the onset of the trade war with Canada last winter.
On Wednesday, he said he “100 per cent” supports comments made by Carney during a speech in Davos in which he warned that the “old order is not coming back” and said that “middle powers” must come together.
“I have been saying it from day one before Prime Minister Carney even got elected last year, I was out in front of the Canadian people saying we have to diversify our trade, we have to find new partners around the world, reliable partners, partners with democratically elected governments, that is who we need to work with and we need to move that forward as quickly as possible,” Ford said in an apparent reference to Canada reducing tariffs on some Chinese-made EV vehicles.
