Meeting in Toronto as part of the Council of the Federation, the provincial premiers presented themselves as a united front, unlike the Trudeau government. However, they agreed that it is not their place to interfere in internal affairs in Ottawa.
“What happens in Ottawa is up to the MPs who are in the House of Commons. We will work with the team that is in place,” noted the Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault.
To avoid Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, the prime ministers have all advocated securing the border with the United States. They hope to convince the president-elect of the United States to back down with his threat to impose tariffs of 25% on Canadian exports.
“It’s important to say that we have a consensus, that there is nothing more important currently than working to avoid having tariffs on January 21,” mentioned François Legault.
“We want to collaborate with the federal government. We hope there will be very regular meetings with the federal government and the provinces.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the same thing. However, he had threatened to want to cut off energy supplies in the United States. He said he had confidence in the provincial premiers to face Donald Trump.
The prime ministers also intend to put pressure on the Trudeau government so that it respects its commitment to reach 2% of GDP for NATO funding.
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