Ontario proposes to label Republican states with tariffs in the US

BarcelonaCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has achieved virtually unanimous support among Canadian political leaders following the breakdown of trade negotiations with the United States. It should be recalled that the leader accused Washington of having entered into "war" with its northern neighbor after imposing 50% tariffs on a multitude of Canadian products – around 5% of all trade flows, ultimately – following the failure of talks between the parties. Among the clearest endorsements Ottawa has received is that of Doug Ford, premier of the province of Ontario, who has placed himself at the disposal of the national executive and has called for politically loading the retaliatory tariffs that Canada plans to activate in early September.

In a letter to Carney published on Saturday and reported by Canadian media outlet CTV News – dated August 17, before the breakdown of negotiations – Ford urges the federal government to "consider additional tariffs on politically significant states" for the Trump administration. The premier's list includes some of the territories where Trump has the most support, such as Texas, Florida, or Missouri. "The products from these states should bear the full force of the Canadian response," he stated.

Beyond the clash with Washington, Ford has put on the table some "regulatory savings" for some of the sectors affected by the tariffs, such as the automotive industry. Among other issues, he has detailed that the provincial government is studying the temporary withdrawal of some emission control regulations for economic segments hit by the tariffs. "The federal government should work with Ontario to advance and accelerate these efforts and maintain thousands of jobs," he argued.

Carney, it must be said, has also gained support from his political rivals. Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has published a lengthy message on his social media networks in which he declares himself "disappointed" with the United States' trade strategy. "Canada cannot accept unilateral tariffs that deindustrialize our country," he stated in a tweet on Saturday afternoon. The move is particularly significant, given that Poilievre had previously been seen as an ally for Trump beyond the northern border.

A "new attack on Canada"

The crisis between North American partners has followed the failure of talks to establish a trade agreement to avoid tariffs imposed by President Trump. The tariffs, which came into effect on Saturday, will affect about $20 billion in Canadian products. After the trade setback, the parties have exchanged recriminations, mutually blaming each other for the new wave of tariffs.

Shortly after the breakdown of talks, Carney announced trade retaliation against the United States that would match Trump's new tariffs "dollar for dollar" "to protect the country's workers and businesses." In a statement shared on his social media, the prime minister accused US negotiators of having tried to impose "last-minute changes" to the agreement that the Canadian side considered "unfair." As a result of these modifications, "confidence in any pact was called into question" and negotiations ended.

Specifically, as the prime minister said in a press conference, US representatives intended to modify agreements on the automotive sector, with demands that "would make their production no longer economically viable" in the country. Carney also denounced Washington's attempt to "restrict Canada's ability to enter into other trade agreements."

In his press conference, Carney further escalated his tone against Trump's trade strategy. The new tariffs, the prime minister argued, "are a new attack on Canada, and they only attack you when there is a war." According to the leader, Ottawa is in a "stronger position than when the US launched the trade war." In this regard, he justified the refusal of the agreement with Washington: "We are not prepared to compromise Canada's sovereignty, nor to weaken our fundamental industries," he sentenced.

The "benefits of being a state"

For its part, Washington has rushed to confront its northern partners. This Sunday, Trump accused Carney's government of "wanting to have the benefits of being a state" of the US "without being one." In a post on his social network, Truth Social, the American leader pointed out that "for many years they have been collecting massive amounts of money from the country's large farmers.

The White House's response has been in line with the initial statements that Trump administration's trade representative, Jamieson Greer, made on Saturday morning. Greer accused the Canadian government of "refusing to finalize the trade agreement on the terms agreed at the beginning of the week." According to the Trumpist herald, Ottawa's new demands and the breach of several acquired commitments would have "disrupted a carefully established agreement.

In statements to the conservative television channel Fox News, the trade representative assured that "no new talks with Canada are planned." "They could have had the best possible deal, but they didn't want it," Greer accused.