The Ben Mulroney Show - Doug Ford joins Ben Mulroney to talk about securing our border and Donald Trump's threats

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

Doug Ford joins Ben Mulroney to talk about Justin Trudeau's resignation and Donald Trump's threats Guest: Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! https://globalnews.ca/national/program/the-ben-mulroney-show Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Maybe, but definitely 100% closer to getting 1% cash back with TD Direct Investing. Conditions apply. Offer ends January 31, 2025. Visit td.com slash DI Offer to learn more. Ever since Donald Trump threw down the gauntlet and said that Canada would be subject to 25% tariffs across the board on day one of his administration, unless certain major issues around human smuggling, human trafficking, the border, the military were addressed. We knew that that was going to be the backdrop for almost every conversation we have about our bilateral relationship about border security about drug

policy, and the like. We're joined now by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has, in my opinion, been one of a few provincial leaders who have stepped into what appears to be a power vacuum left by a nearly absent Justin Trudeau on all of these files. Premier Ford, welcome to the show. Well, thanks so much for having me on Ben. This is you you put out a as the head of the what's it called the the Council of the Federation. The you put out a statement

saying regardless of the political situation in Ottawa, over the next 14 days, the Prime Minister must be squarely focused on doing everything possible to prevent US tariffs. This includes fulfilling his commitment to regularly meet with Canada's premiers to support a team Canada approach, starting with an in-person first minister's meeting next week. If I'm reading between the lines, Mr. Premier, it feels like it sounds like the premieres of this country are not happy with the leadership in Ottawa on these files. Well, I can't say we are happy. We've been on the Prime Minister over a number of years about securing our border, meeting our 2% NATO commitment, and they've come up with a plan.

A plan is one thing. we need to see action now. And where are you in terms of getting this in-person First Minister's meeting? Well, we sent a letter to the Prime Minister and requested that we have a meeting next week. He committed to it prior to Christmas or in 2024 when we met last time. So we look forward to him keeping his promise there. One of your provincial colleagues, Alberta Premier

Danielle Smith, said, quote, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get an election call today. I think that would have been the better outcome. Now it certainly would have been cleaner and it certainly would have led to a new government from whichever party having a clear mandate to go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump on a number of key files. Instead, we've got the internal drama of the Liberal Party there for everybody to watch and either enjoy or endure depending on your political stripes. What would you have preferred? Is this, do you have an opinion one way or the other?

Well, I agree with Premier Smith. It should have been a clean cut. We should be in the election right now, have new leadership, and then we can negotiate through strength, not weakness. Because right now, President-elect Trump, he smells weakness, and that's a big problem. We don't know when the Prime Minister is going to be leaving. Is it going to be in a month? Is it going to be in two months, three months? So we're going to have to see what happens down the road here. This morning, Ontario launched what's called Operation Deterrence to strengthen security

along the Ontario-U.S. border, sort of coming in line with something similar that Premier Smith unveiled, I believe, last month. Can you tell us a little bit about Operation Deterrence? Sure. We're working in conjunction with the federal authorities, RCMP, CBSA, OPP, local municipalities, police services there as well. We have over 200 emergency response team members of the OPP and they're going to make sure that we secure the 14 crossings that we have here in Ontario, everything from drones to boats to planes to ATVs. We're throwing everything in the kitchen sink at this.

Working in collaboration, again, with the CBSA and with the RCMP and local police agencies. I just want to say, Ben, this is a federal issue, but when the feds aren't stepping up, the provinces have to step up. And that's exactly what we're doing. And that was going to be my next question. It feels like you're playing a role that you're not supposed to be playing. Why do you think this issue is lacking such urgency in Ottawa? Well, first of all, there's a lack of leadership in Ottawa right now. And

Well, first of all, there's a lack of leadership in Ottawa right now and everyone's running around and our focus is the trade deal, the tariffs, securing our borders, keeping our commitment to the US on the 2% GDP. This all should have been done a long time ago, but when there's someone absent, you know, sailing the ship, well, then we need to step in and make sure that we protect our provinces and our territories. – Mr. Premier, is Operation Deterrence fully costed out? Is it funded? Do you have everything you need to put this in place right now? – We do. There's already been over 6,000 hours focusing on the legal border activity. Again, no matter if it's guns or drugs or

illegals themselves coming across the border, we need to make sure that we're there to support and help our CBSA officers, which I think the world of there's 2,000 CBSA officers short. They should be hiring 2,000 more. They're refusing to do that. So we're going to step up. And I have to assume when you say 6000 hours, this goes all the way back to that roundtable that your government held with ICE agents, CBSA, RCMP, and the OPP, I think in the days immediately following the election of Donald Trump. That's right. And the DAA, DAA is there as well.

And they're great people. You saw, but you saw the urgency immediately. And I'm just, I'm flabbergasted that the adults in the room in Ottawa are being so lackadaisical about this. Well, I was, I was all over the feds about the illegal border crossings that were happening up in Loxham Road, going from New York into Quebec, and then they'd be all flowing down to Ontario. We can't sustain this. We're spending a billion dollars a year maintaining these people with food, healthcare, education.

If they come through the proper channels, I have no problem with that. But when they're coming illegally through a little path up in New York State into Quebec, I have a problem with that. I know they're shutting that down, but we're going to continue monitoring the borders, all 14 border crossings in Ontario here. Mr. Premier, you snap back at Donald Trump, who continues to taunt Canada as the 51st state. You said you gave him a counter offer. You said we could buy Alaska and you can throw in Minnesota. Why do you think the taunts continue? Well, that's his style. He thinks it's funny. Good for him. I don't find it funny. It's getting a

little tiring, and we need to step up. I think he's really underestimating the power of Canada as a whole, the $1.3 trillion we do in two-way trade, which is more than Japan, UK, Germany combined. And we're going to continue making sure that we inform all Americans and President-elect Trump what an asset Canada is and what an asset Ontario is. They're in desperate need of our critical minerals. They're in desperate need of the 4.3 million barrels that Alberta ships down to the US and the electricity that we send there. And all I'm saying is let's build a fortress, K&M, that we can be the most prosperous, richest, wealthiest two countries in the entire world.

Rather than fighting against each other, it just doesn't make sense. Let's onshore Chinese goods and start producing them in America and in Canada. That's what we need to do and grow our economy, not go after each other. Mr. Ford, but I've got to ask you to answer this in about 20 or 30 seconds. He doesn't do this to the UK or to France or the other G7 allies. He does it to Canada. Is that because he smells weakness or because he doesn't respect either the country or the leadership? Well, I think he definitely doesn't respect the leadership in Canada. Hopefully that will change. I can't tell you what's going through President-elect Trump's mind. I don't think too many people can. And he's a very shrewd operator

and a very smart business person. Premier Ford, Premier Ford, the Premier of Ontario, I thank you very much for your time today and I wish you the very best. Thank you.