Premier Doug Ford said he was doing “cartwheels” and was “as happy as possible” when he saw the results of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, which saw the Democratic Party flip the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, in a clear rebuke of Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Trump wants to blame everyone but himself,” said Ford. “The cheese has slipped off the cracker with this guy.”
But Ford cautioned that Ontario is “under no illusions that the trade war is done.” “It’s not even close to being done because (Trump) still has the power…the January tariffs are still on the table,” he said.
As soon as the newly elected U.S. officials are sworn in at the end of January, Ford said he’s directing his ministers to head down to Washington, D.C. and connect with senators, congresspeople and governors about the importance of Ontario as a trading partner and the damage done by the trade war with the U.S.
“We’re going to be down there, communicating, building those relationships,” he said. “We have to continue making sure that we move faster, quicker, immediate on everything across the board.”
As the midterm results flowed in Tuesday night, the sheer scale of the Democrat’s win quickly became apparent. Democrats flipped long-held Republican Senate seats in Texas, Maine and South Carolina. Seven seats were flipped in total.
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Democrats also triumphed in the House of Representatives, clearing the number of seats needed to take control of the chamber. Historic wins were seen in several governor races, with Keisha Lance Bottoms being elected as Georgia’s first Black female governor.
It was a clear indication of Americans’ disapproval of Trump’s policies, which have led to higher prices at the pump and grocery stores.
New officials in office is a huge opportunity for Ontario, said Ford, particularly as the trade war with Canada became ballot box issues in Michigan and Maine, where the province is a key trading partner.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive senator-elect who won the Michigan race, is someone Ford said he’s willing to work with.
“He wants jobs, he wants prosperity. He wants economic growth in Michigan….we’re going to continue building that great relationship,” he said.
But Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser said Ford needs to temper his excitement as “the reality is we’re not out of the woods.”
“Trump is still the president. The representatives that were elected last night won’t take office until January. What we need is a plan,” he said.
Fraser urged Ford to take a more “disciplined” approach and follow the tone set by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“I would not get excited and say ‘Trump lost’, how’s that going to do any good?” said Fraser. “You’re getting out of the gate.”
When it comes to ironing out a trade deal with the president, Ford said it’s ultimately up to Prime Minister Mark Carney and shook his head when asked if Trump can be relied upon in negotiations.
“I can’t trust [Trump] as far as I could throw him…maybe the Prime Minister feels differently, but he has shown, over and over again, that he can’t be trusted,” said Ford.
On Tuesday, Carney said “more intense” trade negotiations with the U.S. had begun following his call with Trump last weekend. He said both sides have made progress on the issue of restricting Canada’s ability to negotiate deals with other countries.
In August, Carney called off formal trade talks with the U.S., after rejecting what he described as a “bad deal.” Canada launched retaliatory counter-tariffs in September that ranged from 15 to 50 per cent on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. goods.
Trump has said he will level heavy tariffs on the Canadian auto sector on Jan. 1 in addition to previously announced tariffs against the country.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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