Doug Ford takes on Elon Musk: the latest twist in Canada’s trade feud with Trump

On February 3rd, Ontario Premier Doug Ford took his retaliatory measures against the United States for its proposed 25% tariff on Canada to a new level. He announced a new provincial response that hit one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in the pocketbook. 

Ford had previously floated cutting Ontartio’s energy exports to the United States along with banning American alcohol from shelves in the province, something that the Premier did do. However, he decided to go one step further. 

In an effort to make Trump’s decisions hurt, Ford announced that Ontario would ban all American companies from provincial contracts on X. The ban was effective immediately and also targeted one of Trump’s closest allies. 

“Every year, the Ontario government and its agencies spend $30 billion on procurement, alongside our $200 billion plan to build Ontario.U.S.-based businesses will now lose out on tens of billions of dollars in new revenues,” Ford wrote on X. 

“They only have President Trump to blame,” Ford continued, adding: “We’re going one step further. We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy.”

Ending Ontario’s recent Starlink contract was set to come as a major blow to rural Canadians but it was thought to be an even bigger pain for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the man some think might be behind some of Trump’s more worrying economic policies. 

CBC News reported that the Ontario government signed a $100 million dollar deal with Starlink in November 2024. The deal was meant to help provide internet access to up to 15,000 eligible homes and businesses in rural Ontario.  

Whether or not Ford’s decision was a deliberate jab at Elon Musk was unknown at the time, but Ford hadn't been very quiet about his dislike for the SpaceX, Tesla, and Starlink CEO. On February 3rd, he called out Musk by name during a speaking event. 

Ford explained that Musk was a "part of the Trump team that wants to destroy families, incomes, destroy businesses” and added that he wanted “to take food off the table of people, hard-working people, and I'm not going to tolerate it."

The Ontario Premier is currently in the midst of an election set to take place on February 27th. He has positioned himself as needing a new mandate from Ontarians to counter the economic policies and trade decisions of the new Trump administration. 

Photo Credit: Facebook @fordnation

“Canada didn't start this fight with the U.S., but you better believe we're ready to win it,” Ford wrote in his message on X. Who his decision will hurt most has yet to be seen, but it was a bold move in response to the tariffs Trump placed on Canada on February 1st, 2025. 

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Musk offered a simple response to Ford's announcement, writing on his social media platform X: "Oh well." However, Musk wouldn't need to take any legal action against the Ontario government because Ford reversed his decision later on the same day it was announced.

Fortunately for citizens of both countries, Donald Trump reached a deal with Justin Trudeau to avert a trade war and Trump's proposed 25% tariff was postponed for 30 days late in the evening on February 3rd.

In response to the news, Ford announced on X that with the United States pausing its tariffs, Ontario would also pause its "retaliatory measures." However, he warned Ontario wouldn't hesitate to put them back in place if Trump proceeded with his tariffs