TORONTO (TIP): The threatened tariff stand-off between Canada and the US notwithstanding, premiers of various Canadian provinces will give it a try to keep the trade relations between two neighbors and traditional partners alive.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, as Chair of the Council of the Federation, will lead a joint mission of Canada’s Premiers to Washington, D.C. on February 12.

Doug Ford, who was the first to react to the US President-elect Donald Trump’s proclamation that the first thing he would do after assuming power for his second term in the Oval Office of White House would be to levy 25 per cent tariff on all imports from both Canada and Mexico. Doug Ford had threatened to snap power supply to the US. He, however, relented and started advocating for sustaining the strong bilateral trade relations with the US.

The Canadian Premiers will meet with key members of the new Administration, Congress, and business leaders to advocate for maintaining strong Canada-U.S. relations by addressing shared issues such as jobs and the economy, energy, critical mineral supply chains, border security and immigration.

The U.S. sells more goods and services to Canada than it sells to China, Japan, and Germany combined. Our economic partnership is worth more than a trillion dollars annually and supports millions of jobs on both sides of the border.

“Americans and Canadians are like family. We’ve been allies for generations,” said Premier Doug Ford, Chair of the Council of the Federation. “By working together, the U.S. and Canada have an enormous opportunity to grow our economies and bring good jobs back home on both sides of the border. Now more than ever, Canada’s Premiers are best positioned to carry this message and work alongside U.S. lawmakers and business leaders.”

In addition to the joint mission on February 12, some Premiers will also travel to Washington during the annual meeting of the National Governors Association from February 20 to 22.

The Council of the Federation comprises all 13 provincial and territorial Premiers. It enables Premiers to work collaboratively, form closer ties, foster constructive relationships among governments, and show leadership on important issues that matter to Canadians.

(Prabhjot Singh is a Toronto-based award-winning independent journalist. He was celebrated by AIPS, the international body of sports journalists, for covering ten Olympics, at its centennial celebrations held at UNESCO Centre in Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games. Besides, he has written extensively about business and the financial markets, the health industry, the public and private sectors, and aviation. He has worked as a political reporter besides covering Sikh and Punjab politics. He is particularly interested in Indian Diaspora and Sikh Diaspora in particular. His work has also appeared in various international and national newspapers, magazines, and journals. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)