Ford makes energy-related announcement as Trump tariff threat looms over Ontario

Premier Doug Ford is pitching an enhanced energy partnership between Canada and the U.S. as part of a broader effort to stave off tariff threats from president-elect Donald Trump.

Speaking at the Darlington nuclear generating station Wednesday, Ford outlined his vision for a "renewed strategic alliance" that he says would see increased exports of Canadian energy south of the border and a more integrated electrical grid.

Ford said the proposed partnership would help North America obtain energy security as the U.S. "decouples from China."

The plan would include fast-tracked approvals for new large nuclear plants and small modular nuclear reactors, the province said in a news release. A proposed working group of Canadian and U.S. lawmakers and industry experts would also explore ways to cut red tape to speed up construction of cross-border energy infrastructure like transmission lines and pipelines.

You can watch the news conference live in the player above.

Trump has said he intends to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods after he re-takes office later this month, a move that economists have warned poses an existential threat to several key industries in Ontario.

Trump has also repeatedly mused about attempting to make Canada the "51st state," saying as recently as Tuesday that he is willing to use "economic force" to absorb Canada into the U.S. That rhetoric was met with unanimous condemnation from Canadian political leaders at all levels, including Ford.

As the chair of the Council of the Federation, Ford has been on the forefront of the ongoing effort to prevent Trump's tariff threat from becoming a reality.

In December, he said he would consider cutting off Ontario's energy supply to several U.S. states, including parts of New York, Michigan and Wisconsin as retaliation for tariffs. He has also encouraged the federal government — currently in turmoil after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this week he intends to resign — to assemble a list of retaliatory measures Canada could take to dissuade the incoming administration from imposing stiff tariffs.

Ford has been regularly appearing on American cable news programs during prime time, stressing the longtime economic and cultural relationship between Canada and the U.S. Meanwhile, his government is spending tens of millions of dollars on a U.S. ad campaign touting those historical ties.

Ford and Canada's other provincial and territorial leaders are set to hold a virtual meeting with Trudeau later Wednesday to discuss a national response to Trump's threats.