Harris or Trump: Ford will work with U.S. ‘no matter’ election outcome

Whether it’s Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will work with whoever secures the White House.

Ford made the declaration on the eve of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and stressed the close economic ties Ontario has with not only the country, but several states both nearby and far.

“The upcoming U.S. presidential and congressional elections will have an enormous impact on the future of our province. No matter the political stripe, we’ve maintained a strong economic partnership that has driven economic growth, trade, jobs and investments on both sides of the border,” he said in a video shared on Facebook Monday.

“No matter the outcome in the election, we’re going to continue to work together. Ontario jobs are depending on it, and we’ll never stop working for Ontario workers.”

On Nov. 5, a presidential campaign that has careened through a felony trial, an incumbent president being removed off the ticket and multiple assassination attempts will conclude. With roughly 81 per cent of Ontario exports going to America, the fractious race will likely come with massive ramifications for the province’s economy.

With a tough cost of living for many and a race that has focused on foreign trade and immigration, there is potential the next president may look inward, and cut down on some of Ontario’s trade deals.

The Ford government, however, has been banking on strong personal relationships with governors and a concerted campaign over months to keep ties alive whatever the result.

“We must avoid falling into a ‘Buy Canada’ or ‘Buy America’ mindset that would jeopardize our existing trading relationship,” Ford said in a separate statement Monday.

“And instead adopt a ‘Buy Can-Am’ mindset that creates new jobs and opportunities for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford became familiar with the protectionism mindset; shortly after Biden’s election in January 2021, Ford issued a plea for more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines amid a shortage of doses in Canada.

When word came in March 2021 emerged that the United States planned on sending Canada 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, Ford was joyous.

“Thank God. I’ve been bugging Trump, I’ve been bugging Biden — all of them. They must get sick of Doug Ford asking for help,” he said on March 18, 2021.

In August 2020, Ford lashed out at then-president Trump for imposing a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminum.

“I just have to say how disappointed I am with President Trump right now,” Ford said on Aug. 7, 2020, adding in the midst of a pandemic, everyone needed to come together, calling Trump’s actions “totally unacceptable.”

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This is not the first time Ford has weighed in on the election campaign.

On Aug. 7, Ford said he was “happy as punch” that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was chosen to be U.S. Vice-President Harris’ running mate for her presidential campaign.

Ford said he and Walz had a productive meeting at Queen’s Park just two months before the governor was asked to join the Democratic ticket.

In July, he told reporters he was glad to see U.S. President Joe Biden end his re-election bid amid growing calls from Democrats for him to step aside. Ford then said he “felt sorry for” Biden during his lackluster performance at a June debate against Trump that raised public concerns about the 81-year-old Biden’s fitness for another four years in office.

A Trump victory would make him the first incoming president to have been indicted and convicted of a felony, after his hush-money trial in New York.

He will gain the power to end other federal investigations pending against him, and would also become only the second president in history to win non-consecutive White House terms, after Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.

Meanwhile, Harris is vying to become the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to reach the Oval Office — four years after she broke the same barriers in national office by becoming President Joe Biden’s second in command.

— with files from Isaac Callan, Colin D’Mello and The Associated Press

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