Canada as 51st state a ‘compliment,’ Ford says but country is ‘not for sale’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Donald Trump’s threat to make Canada the 51st U.S. state is a “compliment,” but it’ll never happen.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Donald Trump’s threat to make Canada the 51st U.S. state is a “compliment,” but it’ll never happen.

Ford shared his new take when speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park Tuesday, saying after his high-stakes meeting in Washington last week, the Americans aren’t “coming into our country to take over.”

“I kind of flipped this around: what a compliment. We’ll never be a 51st state. Canada is not for sale, but isn’t it nice someone thinks we have the greatest country in the world, and they want access,” Ford said.

“My simple answer to that is if you want access, let’s build an Am-Can Fortress as I’ve been saying. Let’s supply more critical minerals, let’s supply more energy that you need. We are not the enemy, they know that. Their foe is China. That’s their enemy and ours to a certain degree.”

Ford’s remarks appear to be a change in tone for the premier, who has become a prominent voice and representative for the premiers in the fight against the tariffs.

Fortress Am-Can, as Ford mentioned, is a plan he has been touting for months.

The strategy revolves around increasing the sale of Ontario’s critical minerals to the United States, working together on land and water security and increasing the electricity produced in Ontario and used south of the border.

However, Ford’s pitches haven’t caught Trump’s attention until recently, when he followed through on a pre-election threat by introducing a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports to three U.S. states.