Ontario may completely halt electricity exports to the United States, Premier Doug Ford warned on Tuesday.
His remarks came in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff increase on Canadian steel and aluminum imports.
The tariff hike was a retaliatory move after Ontario imposed a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S., instructing its Electricity System Operator to enforce the measure.
Speaking on CNBC’s Money Movers, Ford stated he would not hesitate to cut off electricity exports if Trump escalated the trade dispute.
“That’s the last thing I want to do,” Ford said. “I want to send more electricity to the U.S.—to our closest allies, our best neighbors.”
However, he made it clear that keeping electricity exports on the table as leverage was an option. “Is it a tool in our toolkit? Absolutely. And if he continues hurting Canadian families, I won’t hesitate to use it.”
Trump strongly criticized Ontario’s electricity surcharge, which impacts around 1.5 million customers in New York, Michigan, and Minnesota.
Posting on Truth Social, the U.S. president accused Canada of using electricity as a bargaining tool. “They will pay a financial price so severe it will be written about in history books,” he wrote.