Ontario, Alberta Premiers Tout Importance of Canada-US Ties in Fox News Interviews

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to reporters as Canada's premiers hold a press conference to close the Council of the Federation meetings in Halifax on July 17, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

The premiers of Ontario and Alberta emphasized the strong ties between Canada and the United States in recent interviews with a U.S. media outlet, describing their provinces as essential players in trade with their southern neighbour.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith both said they see the U.S. as Canada’s top ally and trading partner during separate Dec. 4 interviews with Fox News.

“You can’t compare Canada with any other country in the entire world when it comes to the U.S.,” Ford told host Neil Cavuto. “It’s a great friendship that’s gone on for many, many generations, and we want to keep it that way. We’re so much stronger when we stick together.”

The interviews come at a time when Ottawa is pushing for a “Team Canada” approach to addressing president-elect Donald Trump’s promise to place a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports unless the countries address the flow of illegal immigration and drug smuggling at their shared borders with the United States.

Ford told Fox News Trump’s tariffs should be reserved for China and Mexico because the Asian country is using Mexico to bypass trade barriers to inundate Canada and the U.S. with Chinese products. Trump has said he would place an extra 10 percent tariff on top of any existing tariffs on goods coming from China.

Ford’s interview with the news station follows the launch of a U.S. ad campaign by the province touting Ontario as the country’s third-largest trading partner and the No. 1 export destination for 17 states.

Ontario’s two-way trade with the United States amounts to $500 billion annually, Ford said, adding that Ontario is a key source for America’s energy and critical mineral needs.

“Ontario sends energy, electricity, down to New York State, down to Michigan to keep your factories going,” Ford said. “Keeping the lights on in New York, that’s what we have to offer, and much more.”

Smith, who was interviewed in a Fox Business news segment, also described Alberta as an important trading partner for the U.S., saying the province is rich in resources the country needs.

“We know that our particular brand of oil, which is heavy oil, is what your refineries have been retooled to be able to receive,” she said. “You can get it from Venezuela and Iraq and Iran but we think we’re a better trading partner and friend than those countries.”

Alberta has 200 billion barrels of oil in reserve and 200 trillion cubic feet of gas, Smith said. She described Alberta and Canada as “willing partners” in supplying America with its oil and energy needs, but said the ball is in the U.S. government’s court.

She pointed out that President Joe Biden revoked a crucial permit for the U.S. portion of the Keystone XL Pipeline project on the day he took office in 2021. The pipeline was projected to transport 830,000 barrels of crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands to Nebraska on a daily basis.

Alberta has also found a way to deal with carbon dioxide capture and has safely sequestered 14 million tons of the gas and intends to continue this process to offer countries around the world a greener energy source, she said.

“We want to have our lower emissions fuel being exported internationally so that we can reduce the global emissions picture,” she said. “We have, I think, a lot to offer the world where we can not only provide energy security and affordability, but we can also reduce emissions.”

51st State Reaction

Ford was asked about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent trip to Florida to meet with Trump, and the reportedly joking remark Trump made after Trudeau told him the proposed U.S. tariffs would harm Canada’s economy.

Trump reportedly told Trudeau if Canada could not survive the 25 percent tariffs despite its $100 billion trade surplus with the U.S., Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Trump also recently posted an AI-generated image of him standing atop a mountain with a Canadian flag. The image was simply labelled ‘Oh Canada!’

Both premiers expressed appreciation for Trump’s sense of humour.

Ford called Trump a “funny guy” with a “good sense of humour” and inserted a joke of his own.

“I guess he’s still upset that, you know, in 1812 we burned down your White House, and he’s holding a grudge after 212 years,” he said.

Smith also said Trump has a “great sense of humour,” and noted that she is looking forward to attending his inauguration on Jan. 20.

When asked if she is a Trump fan, Smith described herself as “a fan of our biggest trading partner.”