Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants Canada to fight back hard against U.S. tariffs. He is publicly calling for a ban on Canadian oil exports to the United States and wants the federal government to match American tariffs "dollar for dollar."

A tariff is a tax that one country puts on goods coming from another country. The U.S. has placed tariffs on Canadian products, which makes those products more expensive for American buyers. Ford wants Canada to do the same thing back to American goods.

Speaking to CBS News on July 25, 2026, Ford described Canada as the one being attacked. "We didn't start this trade war," he said, adding, "When someone comes up and punches you." His comments followed a series of public statements urging a forceful response to Trump administration tariffs, including a July 20 post on X/Twitter specifically calling for retaliation The Globe and Mail.

Ford has outlined several ways Canada could push back. In a July 22 interview with CBC, he suggested Canada use potash and oil as bargaining chips against U.S. tariff threats CBC. Potash is a mineral used to make fertilizer, which American farmers rely on. He again called for a ban on oil exports as a retaliatory measure in the ongoing trade war National Post. The following day, July 23, Ford went further, calling for Canada to match U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar, as reported by Reuters on July 24 Reuters.

This is not the first time Ontario has taken action. On March 10, 2025, the Ontario government added a 25 per cent extra charge on all electricity it sends to the United States as part of its initial response Ontario Government. That early move made Ford one of the loudest provincial voices for fighting back, a role he has kept as the trade dispute has grown.

Even with his strong public stance, Ford admitted the federal government faces a tough situation. He noted that Prime Minister Mark Carney is in a difficult position regarding the trade war with the United States Reuters.

The reason for that difficulty comes down to who carries the responsibility. Ford, as a provincial leader, can call for tough measures without having to deal with the full consequences, like treaty obligations, effects on the Canadian dollar, or blowback from the U.S. government. Carney, as prime minister, has to think about all of that. Think of it like a coworker who can demand a raise loudly while the manager has to figure out the budget.

There is also a messaging strategy at work. Ford's comments to CBS News suggest he is trying to frame Canada's response as something the country is doing because it was pushed, not because it started the fight. By casting Canada as the party that was punched first, Ford is trying to make any future Canadian retaliation look justified.

The focus on oil and potash is what makes this different from a normal trade argument. The electricity charge Ontario already imposed affects specific border states. Cutting off oil would hit the entire U.S. energy supply. Withholding potash would squeeze American farming. Ford's embrace of these specific products as bargaining tools moves the conversation beyond simply matching taxes on goods and into using essential supplies as weapons.

For anyone following the Canada-U.S. trade relationship, Ford's statements this month show how provincial leaders are turning up the heat. By keeping up his public calls for an oil ban, potash leverage, and dollar-for-dollar tariff matching, the Ontario premier is pushing the limits of what Canada might do, and forcing the federal government to choose between aggressive provincial demands and the need to manage a complicated relationship with its largest trading partner.