Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged the federal government to counter tariffs on imports from politically significant states to the current U.S. administration's base of support.
Posted by Power & Politics, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
Power & PoliticsOct 21, 2026
Multiple sources report that Ford's August 2026 letter to Prime Minister Carney urged Ottawa to consider additional retaliatory tariffs on imports from eight states described as "politically significant states to the current administration's base of support." The letter is dated August 17, so the urging happened before the October 21 posting date, and the claim is graded on that record.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Industry Minister Melanie Joly in August 2026, when she said, "We're also targeting products that will target states in the U.S., and so we're being wise and strategic to put political pressure, and that's why we think it's the right thing to do right now." And this one from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, urging the federal government to counter tariffs on imports from politically significant states to the current administration's base of support. The Prime Minister and Premier Ford were both asked about these allegations earlier today. "The United States initiated these trade actions, a series of trade actions. We have responded to those to protect Canadian jobs, protect Canadian companies. …
Power & Politics · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Newsweek reports Ford called for eight U.S. states to face "additional retaliatory tariffs" in a letter to Carney, describing them as "politically significant states to the current administration's base of support."[2]
Supports. The Record's live coverage of the Toronto Star story reports Ford suggested in a letter to Carney that Ottawa consider retaliatory tariffs on imports from "politically significant states to the current administration's base of support," naming eight states.[3]
Supports. BBC coverage of the US Embassy fact sheet says it states Ford pushed the federal government to consider additional retaliatory tariffs on imports from "politically significant states to the current administration's base of support," and Ford did not dispute the characterization beyond denying interference in US elections.[1]
Context. The letter was widely shared after Carney's August retaliation announcement; the claim's wording matches the letter's language and is not an addition beyond the post.[2][3]
Sources
3 sources: 1 tier 1, 2 not rated
- 1US embassy accuses Canada of election meddling ahead of midtermsbbc.co.uk · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 2Eight US states Doug Ford wants Canada to target with tariffsnewsweek.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 3Trump tariffs recap: Canada in trade war with U.S. Carney says; retaliatory tariffs coming; premiers and industry leaders reacttherecord.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Doug Ford threatened to cut off power to the United States.True
- Industry Minister Melanie Joly stated in August 2026 that Canada is targeting products that will target states in the U.S. to put political pressure on the U.S.True
- A former Clinton handler is working for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to orchestrate trade retaliation against the United States.Can’t tell
- Donald Trump is taking actions against Canada.True