Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a sweeping ban on American companies bidding for provincial contracts until the U.S. rescinds 25% tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on Canadian goods. Ford also canceled Ontario’s C$100M ($68M) partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink, a satellite internet subsidiary of SpaceX, calling it a response to “economic sabotage.”
The terminated Starlink deal, launched in November 2023, aimed to provide high-speed satellite internet to 15,000 rural Ontario homes and businesses.
Presently however, Ford accused Musk, a notable Trump ally, of complicity in “destroying Ontario’s economy” through U.S. trade policies. SpaceX has yet to publicly comment at the tim of filing thai report.
Canada Threatens $155B Counter-Tariffs in Aftermath of Tariff Collapse
After failed talks between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump, Canada pledged C$155B ($107B) in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including a C$30B immediate levy. Trudeau went further to warn that “Canada will hit back hard,” while Ford vowed Ontario would lead the charge by targeting U.S. liquor imports and contracts.
As a result of the Trudeau-Trump tariff collapse, U.S. stock markets tumbled Monday reflecting the fears of a prolonged North American trade war. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and NASDAQ all the plummeted sharply amid uncertainty over Canadian countermeasures.
Quebec, British Columbia Join Ontario in Boycotting U.S. Goods and Contracts
Quebec and British Columbia reacted by to the trade conflict by removing American alcohol from provincial stores and barring U.S. firms from public contracts. “This is economic self-defense,” Francois Legault, the Quebec Premier said.
