Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday said he had agreed to suspend a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports to the United States.
This comes after he held a conversation with United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s threats to increase steel and aluminium tariffs on Canada by 50 per cent.
In a statement issued with Lutnick and posted on X, Ford said he and Lutnick would now be meeting on Thursday alongside the United States Trade Representative to discuss the renewal of the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement ahead of Trump’s self-imposed 2 April “reciprocal tariff deadline.”
“In response, Ontario agreed to suspend its 25 per cent surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York, and Minnesota,” Ford said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he was now considering increasing tariffs on Canada.
The US President had posted on his Truth Social platform, stating that steel and aluminium tariffs would increase from 25 per cent to 50 per cent starting Wednesday in response to the province of Ontario imposing a 25 per cent tariff on electricity entering the United States.
Trump added that he would be declaring a “national emergency” for the three US states targeted by Ontario so that the tariffs could be implemented.
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