Ontario Premier Doug Ford blinked first during a chicken match with President Trump.
The 60-year-old populist politician retreated from a 25% energy surcharge ahead of talks with the US after threatening to “cut off electricity completely” on Sunday if the trade war escalates.
Ford is 78 years old compared to President Trump in recent months, especially with his uncompromising response to the war of words between Washington and Ottawa.
Ford, brother to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who smokes the late infamous crack, used a robust Trump-like language with tensions that raised tensions between the US and Canada.
The prime minister of Canada's most populous territory last week announced that he would pull American-made liquor off the shelf, threatening US power sources.
“If they start hurting their families everywhere in Canada, especially Ontario, well, the lights are off,” Ford warned.
But he returned to his promise on Tuesday following an emergency “productive” consultation with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
“Howard Lutnick and Prime Minister Ontario Doug Ford had a productive conversation about the economic relations between the United States and Canada. Secretary Lutnick agreed to a public meeting in Washington on Thursday, March 13th. We agreed to discuss the new USMCA with our US trade representatives ahead of the mutual tariff deadline on April 2nd. Ford's office said in a statement posted to X..
“Ontario has agreed to suspend 25% additional charges for electricity exports to Michigan, New York and Minnesota,” he added.
Ford previously praised Trump, telling supporters he was “100% happy” that he won the election last month, sharing skepticism towards the elite and bureaucrats.
Ford successfully took a court sale for his infamously deceased brother Rob and took over his previous seat in Heartland, a suburb of Ontario known as “Ford Country.”
Rob Ford passed away in March 2016 at the age of 46 after a colorful political career, to say the least.
Some highlights include knocking an elderly woman, threatening “murder” with a blasphemous rant, shaming his own police chief, and trying to mimic Jamaican accents while rushing to help his brother who had been shaming the audience in a city council room.
However, none of these scandals were caught smoking crack cocaine in 2013, reducing his popularity among his bases.
Ford eventually admitted to smoking, saying, “probably one of my drunken annoyances.”
He was elected to a landslide city council seat, even after the scandal broke his drug use and he lost the mayor's office.
Doug Ford has his own scandal – his government is currently being investigated for his relationship with a shady property developer, and his brother doesn't share the same popularity as working-class Toronto residents.
Doug Sr., Doug Sr., born into wealth, co-founded a company that made plastic for food.
However, Doug made a career as a populist politician, laughing at how he drank “Champagne in the air with Pinky” during his success at the 2018 Ontario Premiere.
He paid tribute to his late brother in his victory speech two years after Rob's death.
“I know my brother is looking down from heaven,” he said. “I'm just talking about him now. I know that Rob is celebrating with us tonight. We owe that much to Rob's legacy.”
Out of the picture, Trudeau and his successor Mark Carney were able to play a key role in the future of the country, looking to win future elections as the central populists of Canada's most populist state.
As Doug revealed in his speech, he was a Trump supporter.
