Tariff-for-tariff? Ford pressures Ottawa as US deadline nears

As the clock ticks toward an August 1 trade deadline, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pressuring the federal government to respond decisively to escalating US tariffs. Ford has urged Ottawa to impose matching 50 per cent tariffs on American steel and aluminium, should talks fail to produce a new bilateral deal.

Speaking at Queen’s Park on Monday, Ford said, “We are working on Aug 1 and we will see what comes from that. But I have always taken the approach dollar-for-dollar and tariff-for-tariff. If he (Trump) wants to attack our hardworking steel workers and aluminium workers, then we have to meet that 50 per cent tariff.”

His comments come in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat of an additional 35 per cent tariff on a wider list of Canadian goods, a move that would add to the damage already done by a 50 per cent steel and aluminium duty imposed on June 4.

The US - Canada tariff timeline

Trade tensions between the two nations have steadily escalated in 2025. The US fired the first shot on March 12, imposing a 25 per cent tariff on imported steel and aluminium, targeting global suppliers but disproportionately affecting Canada, the US’s largest source of both metals.