Some of Canada’s premiers appear at odds with Ontario Premier Doug Ford over his approach to retaliatory measures, less than a day after threatening to cut off the province’s energy supply to United States if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose tariffs. .

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Ford said, “Well, first of all, it’s a last resort,” when asked if Ontario could move forward with cutting the line itself. ‘energy.

“What we’re sending (is) a message to the United States: ‘You’re coming to attack Ontario, you’re attacking the livelihoods of Ontarians and Canadians, we’re going to use every tool at our disposal to defend Ontarians and Canadians across the world’.

Last month, the new US president threatened to impose a 25 percent rate on all Canadian imports from his first day in office, until Canada addresses his border security concerns.

Following a meeting Wednesday between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and premiers to discuss the border and potential retaliation, Ford told media that Ontario “will go all the way, depending on how far it goes “.

“We will go as far as cutting off their power, going down to Michigan, then up to New York state and up to Wisconsin,” Ford said Wednesday. “I don’t want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontario, Ontarians and Canadians as a whole, since we are the largest province.”

According to the Independent Electricity System Operator of Ontario (IESO) — the Crown corporation responsible for electricity exports to the United States — Ontario exported 12,126 gigawatt hours of electricity in 2023 .

More than half of that – 7,718 gigawatt hours – went to Michigan, 4,149 to New York and another 275 gigawatt hours to Minnesota. One gigawatt of electricity is enough to power 100 million LED bulbs.

Asked by CNBC on Thursday about Ford’s comments, Trump said“Well, it’s okay. It’s good.”

“I have friends in Canada, but we shouldn’t have to subsidize a country, and we subsidize them to the tune of over a hundred billion dollars a year. We shouldn’t have to do that,” Trump said.

United Conservative Party Leader Danielle Smith speaks to party members at their annual meeting in Red Deer, Alberta, on November 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Smith and Legault push back Ford

But other provinces don’t seem to agree with Ford’s threat to cut energy.

“Let me be clear, from Alberta’s perspective, under no circumstances will Alberta agree to suspend its oil and gas exports,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters.

Unlike Ford, Smith does not support retaliatory tariffs.

“Instead, we are taking a diplomatic approach and meeting with our allies in the United States,” Smith said. “We are advocating for Alberta oil and gas to be part of the solution to energy affordability and energy security.”

Smith was in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week to promote Alberta at the Western Governors’ Association winter meeting. On Thursday, Smith also announced his province would invest $29 million to create a team of specially trained sheriffs charged with patrolling the border between Alberta and the United States.

Meanwhile, during an announcement Thursday between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador aimed at settling a decades-old energy contract between the two provinces, Quebec Premier François Legault joked to the audience saying, “By the way, I won’t threaten Donald about not sending electricity.”

Asked about Ford’s threat, Legault said the best choice would be for Trudeau to respond to Trump’s border concerns with a plan.

“I think we have to do it,” Legault said. “It’s much better than getting 25 percent tariffs from January 21.”

“So I prefer that rather than starting a war and stopping sending energy to the United States,” he added.

Quebec Premier François Legault summarizes the fall session during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Quebec, December 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey agreed.

“From a Newfoundland and Labrador perspective, we certainly have no interest in stopping the flow of oil and gas,” Furey said.

Last weekend, Legault met Trump in Pariswhere both attended the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Legault said Trump told him “very clearly that we can avoid these tariffs if we do what needs to be done with the borders.”

Legault’s tariff assessment appears to differ from that of Ford, who said Wednesday: “This fight will 100 percent take place on January 20 or 21.”

Asked Wednesday how Ford described the tariff threat, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland did not respond directly.

“During the NAFTA negotiations, I learned that it is important not to anticipate and never answer hypothetical questions,” Freeland said. “I think we also learned that Canada must hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

This week, Trudeau said Canada “will react” if the United States imposes 25 percent tariffs. The federal government also says it will publicly present a border plan in the coming days.