Ontario's Ford suspends U.S. electric surcharge, says Lutnick agrees to trade talks
Source: CNBC
Published Tue, Mar 11 2025 2:58 PM EDT Updated 23 Min Ago
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday said he was temporarily suspending his provinces planned 25% surcharge on electricity exported to the United States after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed to renewed trade talks.
Ford said that he and Lutnick had a productive conversation about the economic relationship between the United States and Canada earlier Tuesday. We have both agreed, let cooler heads prevail, Ford told reporters, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated an already hot trade war by saying he would raise tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports to 50%.
Trump announced those heightened tariffs on the heels of Ford saying that he would impose the surcharge on electricity imports to Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Ford on Tuesday said Lutnick agreed to meet with him and the U.S. trade representative in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to discuss a renewed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/11/ontarios-ford-suspends-us-electric-surcharge-says-lutnick-agrees-to-trade-talks.html
2 right-wingers battling it out. Ford got his messaging out first.

Article updated.
Previous article -
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday said he was temporarily suspending his province's planned 25% surcharge on electricity exported to the United States after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed to renewed trade talks.
Ford said that he and Lutnick "had a productive conversation about the economic relationship between the United States and Canada" earlier Tuesday.
"We have both agreed, let cooler heads prevail," Ford told reporters.
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Original article -
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angrychair
(10,543 posts)Spineless cowards.
Our future is at the mercy of people that will sell their own grandmother into slavery for enough money.
Wonder Why
(5,498 posts)OKIsItJustMe
(21,210 posts)When we produce too much electricity from our renewable sources, we export it to Canada. When our renewable sources are producing too little electricity, we buy it back.
https://www.hydroquebec.com/clean-energy-provider/markets/new-york.html
Trumps proposed tariffs would increase the price of this back-and-forth.
BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)considering the "energy" threats were made by Ontario or did it apply to all of Canada?
OKIsItJustMe
(21,210 posts)Emily Barnes
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Does New York get its electricity from Canada?
Yes, New York receives some of its electricity from Canada, according to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), as its interties with Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) allow for up to 2500 megawatts of imports from Ontario to the Empire State as well as an additional 2100 megawatts through its interties with Hydro-Québec.
In 2023, net imports from HQ and IESO totaled 6,628 gigawatt hours.
BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)I expect the biggest provider is British Columbia into the PNW but of course Doug Ford has been vocal for his Province.
OKIsItJustMe
(21,210 posts)BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)and any relationship. National map -
-misanthroptimist
(1,304 posts)I never thought I'd see a trade war, let alone with Canada. Trump's stupidity beggars the imagination.
BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)There was one with China during 45's first term.
-misanthroptimist
(1,304 posts)I get that. But this multiple friendly countries and for no real reason. This is some 1920s crap, here. I thought maybe the Great Depression had taught us about the misuse of tariffs.
BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)although those who lived through the Depression that was caused still have that memory.
"The border" became a talking point and that is why all this nonsense and it was originally focused on Mexico, but Canada started objecting so they got added.
45 was the one who ditched NAFTA and created a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico that he is violating left and right.
OKIsItJustMe
(21,210 posts)Ford and GM build cars (including EVs) in Canada and Mexico.
Tesla does not.
BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)But then Ford and GM are much older companies and their Canadian operations happened long ago - for Ford, literally 125 years ago across the Detroit River in Windsor. lol
https://windsorprints.com/blogs/news/the-history-of-ford-city
Tesla has barely been around 20 years.
OKIsItJustMe
(21,210 posts)I think this also helps explain why the Tariffs on China have been lower than Trump promised during the campaign.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/04/trump-floats-more-than-60percent-tariffs-on-chinese-imports.html
BumRushDaShow
(150,876 posts)OKIsItJustMe
(21,210 posts)This will directly impact peoples pocketbooks, one expert said.
ByMax Zahn
November 18, 2024, 3:53 PM
President-elect Donald Trump has promised a major escalation of the nations tariffs.
Trump has proposed tariffs of between 60% and 100% on Chinese goods, and a tax of between 10% and 20% on every product imported from all U.S. trading partners.
Economists widely forecast that tariffs of this magnitude would increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers.
Trump's tariffs would cost the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
paleotn
(20,256 posts)And not the Canadian central government in Ottawa. US state governors cannot go there. That's the US federal government only per our Constitution. Neither here nor there other than an interesting factoid. In some ways, Canadian provinces have enhanced powers compared to US states.
HereForTheParty
(841 posts)Don't get me wrong, both countries will suffer from this stupid unprovoked trade war. But generally we can hurt them more.