Canada’s premiers talk U.S. strategy at meeting at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga

Canada’s 13 provincial and territorial premiers are meeting Monday in Mississauga to talk about a range of matters, chief among discussions a strategy on how best to deal with the U.S. in the wake of president-elect Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs threat.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is hosting his provincial and territorial counterparts at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel at Pearson Airport in Mississauga.

“With a new administration taking office in the United States, it’s never been more important for Canada’s premiers to work together to protect Canadian jobs and build up stronger partnerships on both sides of the border,” Ford said in a news release from Canada’s Premiers.

The Ontario premier chairs the Council of the Federation, a multilateral congress comprised of the premiers of each of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories that meets at least twice a year.

The organization’s main function is to promote interprovincial-territorial cooperation, collaborate on shared governmental priorities and ultimately provide a united front amongst the provincial and territorial governments when interacting with Ottawa.

Ford said the gathered politicians will discuss issues of importance to Canadians, including energy security, health care and Canada-U.S. relations.

Premiers are united, says Ford

“As premiers, we’re focused on protecting jobs and attracting investment while also continuing our work to strengthen health care, including the importance of accelerating patient access to new and life-saving medications,” he said.

Premiers will gather for a news conference at 2 p.m. to discuss their meeting.

Ford says Canada’s premiers are united in their approach to dealing with Trump’s threat of 25 per cent tariffs that would take effect once he takes office in late January or shortly thereafter. The threat targets goods coming from both Canada and Mexico closer to home in addition to numerous other countries farther abroad.

Ontario’s premier noted his colleagues support the notion of Canada further securing its border with the U.S. in addition to committing to a two per cent contribution to NATO. Those are key issues for the incoming U.S. president, who has long called for the toughening of the border and immigration as well as securing greater financial commitments to NATO from numerous countries, including Canada.

Threat to cut off U.S. energy

Last week, Ford threatened to cut off Ontario-produced energy to 1.5 million homes in New York, Michigan and Minnesota in response to Trump’s economic threats. At the time, some other premiers publicly disagreed with that strategy.

In a post to social media this past Thursday, Ford addressed the ongoing dispute with the incoming U.S. president.

“President Trump was asked about my comments last night when I said we need to be ready to stand up for Canadian workers if he follows through with his tariffs. President Trump told a reporter that he hopes the U.S. and Canada can work something out. I agree,” Ford said in his post to X (formerly Twitter).

“The good news is the pathway to a deal isn’t complicated. The federal government needs to make sure Canada invests in our shared security with a credible plan to reach our two per cent defence spending NATO commitments, which all premiers support. The federal government needs to immediately protect our border against illegal immigration, drugs and guns that hurt both American and Canadian families.”

In sum, Ford wants premiers to take on a larger role in Canada-U.S. relations, saying they need a coordinated strategy with which to respond to Trump’s saber rattling.