Ontario Premier Doug Ford says “the walls are closing in” on U.S. President Donald Trump after the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down many of his sweeping tariffs introduced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Ford made the comment at Queen’s Park on Monday, as he urged his fellow premiers to head south to raise awareness about the economic “turmoil” Trump has created on both sides of the border. He also announced he would be making a similar trip himself in the coming months.
Trump has since signed an executive order to enact a 10 per cent worldwide tax starting Tuesday — when U.S. Customs and Border Protection will stop collecting the IEEPA-issued tariffs — through a different legal avenue.
On Saturday, he vowed to increase the duty to 15 per cent. That tariff will expire after 150 days, but Congress can vote to extend it. That tariff will not affect goods compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
READ MORE: What does the U.S. court ruling on Trump’s tariffs mean for Canada?
Sector-specific tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles remain in place and are not affected by the Supreme Court ruling.
Ford appeared on CNN after his Monday morning news conference and told host Wolf Blitzer that Trump’s trade war has caused “uncertainty” for both the Canadian and U.S. economies, pointing to the president’s threat to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will connect Ontario to Michigan, as one example.
“That’s one of the busiest crossings anywhere in North America. We need to make sure we open the Gordie Howe bridge…follow the money. Why did he make this all-of-a-sudden, abrupt change?” Ford asked.
Earlier this month, Democrats announced they were escalating an investigation into Trump’s threats over the bridge, which they allege were made after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met with the billionaire owner of a competing bridge.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
