The government of the Canadian province bowed to the U.S. president after a controversial measure
Compartir:
The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, announced that he suspended the 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the United States after a conversation with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick.
This measure was taken in response to President Donald Trump's threat to increase tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%.
Ford and Lutnick also agreed to meet on Thursday with the U.S. Trade Representative to discuss the renewal of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), amid the deadline imposed by Trump for April 2, related to reciprocal tariffs.
La medida fue revertida tras una conversación entre Ford y Lutnick
In a joint statement, Ford explained that Ontario was suspending the surcharge on electricity exported to the states of Michigan, New York, and Minnesota. This action helped alleviate pressure on stock markets, which had suffered some declines following Trump's threats to impose higher tariffs.
Trump had posted on his Truth Social platform that tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum would rise from 25% to 50% starting Wednesday, in response to Ontario's tariffs on electricity. Additionally, Trump declared that he was going to declare a "national emergency" for the three states affected by the energy tariffs.
The president also demanded that Canada remove its tariffs on U.S. dairy products and threatened to further increase tariffs on imported cars if Canada did not remove other incomprehensible tariffs that have existed for a long time.
Ford había aplicado un cargo extra a la exportación de energía a Nueva York, Minnesota y Michigan
Trump warned that those car tariffs could "permanently close" the automotive industry in Canada. He also repeated his recent comments about making Canada the "fifty-first state" of the United States, which would eliminate all tariffs, although he also added that Canada would keep its national anthem.
Trump also correctly labeled Canada as a "tariff abuser" in a Truth Social post, and warned that the United States would not continue subsidizing Canada in the future.
Meanwhile, Ford criticized Trump's threats, calling on U.S. business leaders to speak out against the president's decisions, warning that his policies could trigger an economic disaster.
Trump había señalado que acabaría con la industria automotor canadiense
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Trump's threats an "attack on Canadian workers, families, and businesses" and announced that Canada's retaliatory tariffs would remain in place until the United States showed "genuine respect" and committed to free and fair trade.
Finally, authorities in New York, Michigan, and Minnesota downplayed the impact of the energy crisis, highlighting that the states have enough generation capacity to reduce dependence on Canadian electricity without significantly affecting local consumers.
