‘Best of a bad deal:’ Ontario leaders react to Trump’s latest tariff policy

After speaking on the phone with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Doug Ford said Canada got “the best of a bad deal” when it comes to Trump’s latest tariff policy.

“This is really because of our relationship that we built,” he said.

“We were going down that route, communicating constantly. There’s a big relief we didn’t see our name on the list, but that doesn’t mean these tariffs are disappearing.”

Twenty-five per cent duties on automobile imports into the U.S. came into effect April 3.

Ford says that while vehicles made in Canada will likely be hit with tariffs at a lower level, depending on the percentage of American parts in them, the threat to Ontario’s auto sector is still very high.

“Let’s say a vehicle is 50 per cent American parts, then half of those Canadian parts are going to be tariffed, which equals 12.5 per cent… but 12.5 per cent is still unacceptable,” Ford said.

NDP Leader Marit Styles says the Ford government needs to focus on helping the workers impacted by the trade war.

This comes as the Stellantis plant in Windsor announced it would be shutting down for two weeks because of the tariffs.

“I think workers in Windsor need to know that there is going to be support for them at a very very difficult time,” Styles said.

“So I want to see supports – not just at a federal level, but at the provincial level – in place, and I expect to see that from the Premier. Like I’ve said before, we have offered to work together on this.”

Ford says he is expecting the federal government to support affected workers, but he hopes the Stellantis shutdown is only temporary.

READ MORE: Mark Carney says Canada will match Trump’s 25% auto tariffs