Premier Doug Ford Urges Federal Government to Take More Proactive Approach at Border

(Today’s Northumberland file photo)

On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Premier Doug Ford issued the following statement following the First Ministers’ meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s premiers:

“For months, Ontario has been pushing the federal government to show that Canada understands, cares and is responsive to U.S. security and economic concerns, including by urging them to match U.S. tariffs on China, ban Chinese software in cars on Canadian roads, delay the implementation of the digital services tax and present a credible plan to meet our NATO defence spending commitments. It’s also why I called out Mexico for allowing itself to become a backdoor for cheap Chinese transshipment and am urging Canada to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement directly with the U.S.

During this evening’s meeting, I stressed that the federal government has been slow to react and is stuck on its backfoot. I expressed my hope that this evening’s meeting is the start of a more proactive approach from the federal government, including by showing that it takes the security of our border seriously by cracking down on illegal border crossings and stopping the transport of guns and illegal and illicit drugs like fentanyl, or risk the economic chaos of Trump tariffs. We need action, including more permanent funding for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Border Services Agency. The Ontario Provincial Police stand ready to help, but we need the federal government and its agencies to allow for more information sharing. As an example, Health Canada needs to be able to share where fentanyl and other drugs seized by police forces are manufactured and synthesized for enhanced tracking and tracing, like they do in the U.S. If the federal government is really committed to a Team Canada approach, that needs to include our police services too.

Moving forward, Ontario will continue to engage with U.S. lawmakers to demonstrate how our province is uniquely positioned to help America bring jobs back home as it decouples from China. Ontario can help build up Fortress Am-Can by building out Ontario-U.S. critical mineral supply chains and provide more clean, nuclear power to fuel America’s economic growth and promote our shared security.”