Ontario Premier Doug Ford is heading deep into Trump country this week, travelling to Texas for a multi-day trip aimed squarely at protecting Ontario — and Ottawa — from the economic sting of U.S. tariffs.
Ford Takes the Fight South
The Premier is set to meet with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a close ally of President Donald Trump, along with a roster of American business leaders. The message Ford is bringing is simple: tariffs are bad for both sides of the border, and the business community on both sides knows it.
It's an unconventional move — a Canadian premier lobbying in a red state — but Ford has been one of the most vocal Canadian politicians pushing back against Washington's trade posture. His strategy has been to go around federal gridlock and speak directly to American governors and executives who have skin in the game.
Why Ottawa Should Be Paying Attention
Ottawa's economy may be dominated by the federal public service, but the capital region is far from immune to trade turbulence. Manufacturing and tech sectors in the broader Ottawa-Gatineau area have deep supply chain ties to the U.S. market. Kanata North, home to hundreds of tech companies, counts American clients and partners as a cornerstone of its business.
Beyond tech, the broader Ontario manufacturing sector — auto parts, steel, agriculture — feeds into Ottawa-area supply chains in ways that aren't always visible until a tariff disrupts them. Higher input costs upstream have a way of showing up as layoffs and price hikes downstream.
The federal government's ongoing tariff response has also put pressure on Ottawa's public sector workforce, with budget uncertainty rippling through departments that touch trade and economic policy.
Abbott as a Back Channel to Trump
The choice of Texas — and Governor Abbott specifically — is deliberate. Abbott has cultivated a close relationship with Trump, and Texas is one of the U.S. states with the most to lose from a prolonged Canada-U.S. trade war. The Lone Star State exports billions in goods to Canada annually and relies heavily on cross-border energy and agricultural trade.
Ford appears to be betting that economic self-interest will make Abbott a useful back channel, or at least a sympathetic voice, in conversations that eventually reach the White House.
A Province Acting Like a Country
This trip is the latest example of Ontario punching above its weight on the international stage. With federal-U.S. relations strained, Ontario has increasingly stepped into the gap — threatening to cut electricity exports to American states, floating retaliatory measures, and now conducting what amounts to trade diplomacy on foreign soil.
For Ottawa residents, the stakes are real. Whether it's the price of groceries, the stability of tech-sector jobs, or the federal government's fiscal room to manoeuvre, what happens in Austin this week could matter a lot closer to home than it might seem.
Ford's full itinerary and the outcomes of his meetings with Abbott and business leaders are expected to be reported as the trip unfolds.
Source: CBC Ottawa
