(NewsNation) — Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to cut off electricity exports to the United States following President Donald Trump’s newest tariffs.
“It’s absolute chaos right now,” Ford said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “Trump ran on creating more jobs, lowering inflation. This has totally backfired. Inflation’s gonna hit the American people and Canadians. … This is all unnecessary.”
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Ford went on to apologize to the American people, insisting “we never started this.”
“I’ve talked to endless Americans. … Canadians love Americans. They love the U.S. They look at Americans as part of the family, and so do I. And this is totally unnecessary,” Ford added, placing blame on Trump as the person responsible.
Ford said cutting off electricity is the “last step he wants to take.”
“I do not want to do this to the Americans, but we have to retaliate when our country, our sovereignty, is at risk right now,” Ford added. “I will do everything and use every tool in our tool kit to make sure we we come to a resolution.”
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Who will be affected by a Canadian energy cut?
Multiple regions of the country will feel the heat — or lack thereof — if Canada decides to stop exporting energy.
Oil refineries in the Midwest and Great Lakes region rely on Candadian oil to make gasoline, jet fuel and diesel. In 2023, the U.S. imported 1.4 million barrels of Canadian crude oil each day — more than half its daily import of 2.4 million.
In New England, states including Maine, which are “secluded from other regional energy infrastructure,” could face electricity cost hikes of up to $200 million per state, Heatmap News reports.
The state of Vermont has partnered with Hydro-Québec to have the Canadian company provide 25% of the state’s annual energy needs through 2038. Similarly, New York has a deal for megawatt importation through 2030.
Both deals could easily fall apart if Ford’s threats come to fruition, leaving much of the northeast scrambling for a new source.
NewsNation’s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.
