The White House released an announcement stating that these tariffs were part of Trump’s effort to “take bold action to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country”. The order also mentioned that “There is growing production of fentanyl in Canada, and enough fentanyl was seized at the northern border last fiscal year to kill 9.8 million Americans. Additionally, illegal border crossings from Canada reached historic new highs every year for the last four fiscal years.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who secured a third majority last week, stated during a news conference, “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do anything, including cutting off their energy — with a smile on my face. They need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard? We’ve got to go back twice as hard.”
When speaking at a mining convention in downtown Toronto on Monday, Ford reiterated his previous claims. As reported by the Toronto Sun, Ford said, “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face. They rely on our energy, they need to feel the pain. They want to come at us hard, we’re going to come back twice as hard.” He added, “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. The provinces have a big say in it, but it’s the federal government that’s leading the charge, and we’re going to stand shoulder-to-shoulder no matter who’s in the federal government.”