TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’ll suspend the 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports after speaking with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and agreeing to meet with him in Washington, D.C., this week.
Ford says he and Lutnick have agreed to meet on Thursday to “discuss a renewed” United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s April 2 reciprocal tariff deadline.
The call took place after Trump said he would double an imminent tariff on steel and aluminum from Canada in response to Ontario placing a surcharge on electricity it sends to three U.S. states.
Ford says he and Lutnick had a productive conversation and agreed that the escalation of the trade war and tariff threats needs to cool down.
On Monday, Ontario enacted the surcharge of 25 per cent on electricity exported to 1.5 million homes in New York, Michigan and Minnesota, and Ford said he could raise that amount even higher in response to further American escalation.
Trump posted on social media Tuesday morning that in response he would tariff Canadian steel and aluminum at 50 per cent, instead of the 25 per cent that was set to go into effect Wednesday.
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