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The leader of Canada\u2019s most populous province and the heart of its vital auto industry said on Friday that he would call early elections because he needed a stronger hand to deal with President Trump\u2019s plan to impose tariffs on Canadian exports.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a strong mandate, we will be able to fight with Donald Trump to make sure we stop the tariffs,\u201d Doug Ford, the Conservative premier of the province, Ontario, said at a news conference on Friday.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ford has emerged as one of the strongest political voices defending Canada against Mr. Trump, who argues that Canada has an unfair economic advantage over the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to try to devastate our country,\u201d Mr. Ford recently told reporters of the U.S. president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Ontario\u2019s auto industry is deeply intertwined with that of the United States, with parts and components crossing back and forth numerous times before vehicles are fully assembled.<\/p>\n
A blanket tariff of 25 percent that Mr. Trump said he would apply on Feb. 1 would decimate Canada\u2019s economy, and the province <\/span>could lose as many as 500,000 jobs, according to Mr. Ford.<\/p>\n Ontario is also a major producer of hydroelectric power that flows across the border and provides energy to New England, something Mr. Ford said the province could withhold as a form of retaliation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will go to the extent of cutting off their energy,\u201d he said recently.<\/p>\n At such a potentially perilous moment, Mr. Ford said Canada was hobbled by lacking a strong bargaining position at the federal level, in part because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to step down and make way for a new party leader and prime minister.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need a loud voice at the table,\u201d Mr. Ford said.<\/p>\n Mr. Ford\u2019s party already holds a majority of seats in the Ontario legislature, but he signaled that increasing the Conservatives\u2019 seats would bolster their ability to act aggressively in a turbulent political climate with the United States, Canada\u2019s largest trading partner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe opposition treats you with a little more respect, as opposed to being vulnerable,\u201d Mr. Ford said. Elections will now be held on Feb. 27, more than a year before the June 2026 fixed election date.<\/p>\n Opposition leaders have said that early elections are unnecessary because they would support Mr. Ford in defending the province and the country against tariffs.<\/p>\n Mr. Ford has been making the rounds on American cable programs, including Fox News, to criticize Mr. Trump on tariffs. He also launched a multimillion dollar advertising campaign reminding viewers of Ontario\u2019s contributions of energy and minerals to the United States.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump reiterated his tariff threat on Thursday in remarks delivered to attendees of the Davos economic forum in Switzerland, saying that the United States does not need Canadian exports like lumber, oil and gas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have our own,\u201d said Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n