Ontario delegation in D.C. for inauguration aims to push back on looming trade war

Ontario politicians, business leaders and union executives are set to descend on Washington, D.C., for president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, as part of a provincial pushback to the incoming administration's looming trade war.

Premier Doug Ford has taken a highly visible role both in urging Trump to reconsider his approach and in pressing the federal government on its response. The province's large presence is expected to complement that.

Heavy hitters from the auto sector, mining companies, the energy industry, big banks and Ontario politics will gather at the Canadian Embassy to take in the festivities amid Trump's threat to lay a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods on his first day in office.

While it's unclear how the tariffs would be implemented and if they will be sweeping or more targeted, they will certainly bring economic pain, said David Paterson, the Ontario government's representative in Washington.

Ford has said Ontario could lose up to 500,000 jobs should the tariffs go through.

But Paterson has been making friends with Republicans since taking on the post a year ago. He focused on incumbents from both sides of the aisle before the election, figuring it was a good bet many would win their seats again. He believes that behind-the-scenes work will pay off.

"I sleep beautifully at night, and know that we will be able to work our way through," Paterson said.

"Relationships will be important in doing that and I'm so glad we've got a year of focusing on building those relationships with key Republicans under our belt already."

Paterson, a former Liberal and long-time auto executive with General Motors who participated in the last round of free trade negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico, said there are a number of senators, governors and congresspeople in Canada's corner.

"I wouldn't trade places with any country on the planet in terms of our ability to work our way through this, just because it's in the self-interest of the American economy and American businesses and the American government to do so," he said.

Joining Paterson at the Canadian Embassy will be a slew of industry leaders, bankers and Ontario politicians.

The time for being nice is over, said Lana Payne, president of Unifor, the country's largest private sector union. About a third of its 300,000 workers are in industries likely exposed to the tariffs, including Ontario's massive automotive and mining sectors as well as the energy and forestry sectors.

"As a country we're going to have to come together and push back hard," she said.

"The premiers, honestly, they've all got to get on the same page with the prime minister and get this job done for Canadian workers."