Western premiers clash with Ford over China EV tariff standoff

Western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to lift tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles in exchange for Beijing removing its crippling duties on Canadian canola.

Source: Facebook

Western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to lift tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles in exchange for Beijing removing its crippling duties on Canadian canola, setting up a regional split as Ontario Premier Doug Ford insists the tariffs must stay.

The calls came after China’s ambassador to Canada, Wang Di, told CTV on Sunday that Beijing is prepared to lift its 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola oil and pork products if Ottawa scraps its own levies on Chinese EVs.

“If Canada removes the unilateral, unjustified tariffs on Chinese products, China will also reciprocate accordingly,” Wang said through a translator.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the remarks are “a clear signal of how Ottawa can act this week,” urging Carney’s government to “get this deal done on behalf of 200,000 Canadian workers.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew made a similar plea in a letter to Carney last week, describing the situation as “a critical moment” for Prairie farmers facing steep price declines and financial losses.

“Every day these tariffs remain in place, the harm to prairie producers deepens,” Kinew wrote, calling for a negotiated resolution that restores full market access for Canadian agricultural exports to China.

But Ford rejected the idea outright during remarks at the Empire Club of Canada on Tuesday, saying Ontario must prioritize its auto sector.

“I respect what they’re doing, but there’s no damn way we should drop tariffs on China,” Ford said. “Absolutely not.”

The split reflects the competing regional interests at play: Prairie premiers focused on agricultural exports versus Ontario’s heavy dependence on automotive manufacturing.

Canada currently imposes 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and 25 per cent tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum — measures that followed similar actions by the United States last year.

China retaliated by targeting a $5 billion canola industry with tariffs of up to 100 per cent on canola oil and meal and 75.8 per cent on canola seed.

The debate comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand travels to Beijing later this week, following her visit to India.

Trade and industrial policy are expected to feature prominently in her meetings with Chinese officials.

Meanwhile, former Ontario NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo reignited the China-US debate seen most apparent within the progressive left, writing on X, “WHY are we refusing Chinese EVs exactly? Because US car giants have been so generous with us?”

DiNovo’s comments come in reaction to yet another American company pulling out of operations in Ontario. Stellantis decided to move production of the Jeep from Brampton to Illinois only days after Prime Minister Carney’s visit to the White House.

The federal government has not yet indicated whether it will consider easing the tariffs.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told True North at a press conference last week that he would oppose the move.

The tariffs were introduced on national security grounds under the previous Liberal government.