With Trudeau Fading, Ontario’s Premier Steps Up To 'defend Canada'

OTTAWA — With Justin Trudeau missing in action, the premier of Canada's largest province has anointed himself national spokesman, deflecting "51st state" jabs and instead working to sell President-elect Donald Trump on “a new American and Canadian century.”

Just last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was threatening to cut energy exports to the United States in response to Trump's tariff threats.

On Wednesday, he showed up at a nuclear power plant to pitch the idea of "Fortress Am-Can," and the opportunity to build a Canada-U.S. energy infrastructure. Ford called for building out the clean electricity grid, increasing the generation of nuclear power and forming a cross-border working group to expedite projects.

"Someone had to stand up for Canada," he said.

The prime minister has mostly withdrawn from the spotlight since the dramatic resignation last month of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Earlier this week, Trudeau announced he will step down once Canada’s Liberal Party chooses a new leader.

Ford has become a regular face on U.S. cable news networks. The plain-spoken Progressive Conservative with a populist streak made no secret Wednesday he plans to fill the growing federal political power vacuum — making him Canada’s leading foil to Trump. He’s been serving as a de facto spokesman for Canada since Trump first threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports to the U.S.

On Wednesday, Ford promoted his province as an international player. “With our fleet of nuclear power plants and the first small modular nuclear reactors in the G7, Ontario is uniquely positioned.”

He also touted Saskatchewan uranium, which he said is refined in Ontario before it is shipped to the U.S. “They wouldn’t be able to survive without the uranium for their weapons,” he said.

The premier also said Canada was committed to joining with the U.S. to combat economic threats from China.

“U.S. lawmakers are undertaking one of the most ambitious economic and geopolitical shifts in decades, as America decouples from China and its global proxies. This won’t be easy,” he said. “It will require dedication, and most of all, it will require friends and allies. Canada is here to help.”

In his role as head of the federation of Canadian premiers, Ford has successfully pushed Trudeau to meet with the group in Ottawa next week. “The message is: you need to do everything you can to stop the tariffs ... We need to see the plan that you announced on border security,” Ford said.

“We’re going to hold his feet to the fire until the day he’s no longer prime minister.”

Ford also called for policy action in areas that are clearly in Ottawa’s jurisdiction, including on Canada’s commitment to NATO. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for not meeting the spending target of 2 percent of GDP and went further in his Mar-a-Lago press conference this week calling for a 5 percent target. So far, the Trudeau Liberals have pledged to reach 2 percent by 2032.

"First, we need the federal government to invest in our military, to meet and exceed our NATO funding commitments. Second, the federal government needs to turn words into actions by implementing its border security plan,” he said.

“This needs to include permanent funding increases for the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency, to put more boots at the border. And we need highly visible activity to give our U.S. allies the confidence they need that we’re doing our part."

Just after Christmas, two of Trudeau’s top ministers travelled to Florida to share the federal border plan with Trump’s team.

Ford dismissed Trump’s talk of annexing Canada as a 51st state and rebutted the president-elect’s assertion that the U.S. does not need Canadian autos, lumber or dairy products.

“Let’s stop wasting time and ridiculous ideas about merging and instead focus on efforts on restoring the pride of Made in Canada, and Made in the U.S.A. Let’s be unapologetic as we stand up for Canadian and American workers against the world.

“Together, let’s usher in a new American and Canadian century.”

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Wednesday the federal government is focused on dealing with the economic fallout posed by Trump’s tariff threat, the main reason why he’s decided not to enter the race to replace Trudeau.

LeBlanc said he was committed to working with premiers, business and union leaders and other party leaders.

His Cabinet colleague, Immigration Minister Marc Miller, ridiculed Trump’s annexation talk — one day after Trudeau said on X that there was “not a snowball’s chance in hell” of that happening.

“I said a couple of weeks ago this is like an episode of South Park. I’ll start to get worried when they confirm Eric Cartman as the Joint Chief of Staff,” said Miller.

“It’s silly. It’s unbecoming frankly of a president, any president,” he added. “But we do have to take it seriously.”