ONTARIO NEWS RELEASE: Premier Ford and Prime Minister Carney Launch New Action Plan to Protect Workers from Tariffs and Strengthen Ontario Industries

OTTAWA — The world is changing rapidly. In the face of U.S. tariffs and growing global uncertainty, Canada is focused on what we can control. We are building our strength at home, diversifying our trading relationships abroad and making strategic investments to build a stronger, more independent and more resilient economy.

“Working in partnership to protect Canadian workers, Ontario and Canada are fortifying our industrial base and securing the good-paying jobs of the future,” said the Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario. “The agreement we are announcing today is the next step in our ongoing partnership to provide tariff-impacted workers the certainty and stability they deserve, while unlocking Ontario’s vast supply of critical minerals and building a more competitive and resilient economy that can stand up to anything that comes our way.”

Ontario is crucial to Canada’s industrial economy. The province has world-class automotive and steel industries and vast deposits of critical minerals. It has the workers, expertise and resources to drive Canada’s economic transformation. By working together, the federal and provincial governments are protecting good jobs, attracting investment and ensuring Ontario’s industries remain competitive.

“From mine to mill to assembly line, Canada and Ontario are protecting jobs today and making bold investments that will build a stronger, more resilient, more independent Canadian economy for tomorrow,” said the Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada. “Today’s action plan is cooperative federalism in action. Canada is strong. Canada is united. Canada is working.”

To that end, Premier Ford and Prime Minister Carney today announced investments of $8.7 billion and new measures to strengthen strategic industries, support workers and businesses impacted by U.S. tariffs and drive long-term economic growth.

Through this new action plan, the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada will:

Protect Ontario’s steel industry by:

• Establishing a new Joint Steel Action Fund with five-year funding commitments of $3.55 billion from Canada and $1.67 billion from Ontario to diversify production, prepare Canadian steel firms to support emerging and growing Canadian industries such as defence, advanced manufacturing and energy and trade infrastructure, and open up new overseas markets for Canadian steel.
• Leveraging the Buy Canadian Policy and the Buy Ontario Policy to prioritize Canadian steel in public procurement and strengthen domestic demand.
• Strengthening protections against foreign steel dumping and unfair subsidising through enhanced enforcement by the Canada Border Services Agency and tighter trade remedy practices and compliance measures.
• Establishing a Canada-Ontario Steel Task Force to provide strategic advice and guidance on the implementation of measures to support the steel sector and improve its competitiveness. Its first priority will be identifying ways to reduce steel shipping costs and recommending new measures as needed, including the effectiveness of trade measures and recent import trends.

Fortify Ontario’s automotive industry by:

• Investing an additional $2.5 billion over two years in capital projects to enable manufacturers to invest in modern machinery and upgraded production lines to build the connected and electric vehicles of the future. This funding is comprised of $1.5 billion from the federal government and $1 billion from Ontario.
• Maintaining Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions standards for new light-duty vehicles at 2026 levels through the 2029 model year — with annual increases resuming in the 2030 model year, in line with Canada’s 2035 electric vehicle target set out in Canada’s new Auto Strategy.
• Establishing a Canada-Ontario Automotive Task Force to support the industry’s transition and better coordinate the implementation of new measures.

Build out Ontario’s critical mineral supply chain by:

• Advancing essential road infrastructure to support critical mineral development in Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire region by the Canadian government matching the provincial government’s initial investment of up to $1 billion over three years.
• Establishing a coordinated process for provincial and federal permitting to help streamline approvals and further speed up building.
• Identifying priority projects that could benefit from federal funding initiatives, including the Canada Critical Minerals Accelerator, the First and Last Mile Fund, investment tax credits, cost-sharing arrangements and federal and provincial support measures to get projects moving faster.
• Establishing a working group to support meaningful engagement with First Nations, identifying economic and community development opportunities. The work of this group will also include studying options for conservation and/or Indigenous protected areas as development in the Ring of Fire region moves forward.

Together, Ontario and Canada are fortifying our industrial base, strengthening domestic manufacturing and opening new markets for Canadian-made goods. Today’s action plan demonstrates cooperative federalism in action. At a time of growing uncertainty, Ontario and Canada are working together to protect Canadian workers, diversify our export partners and get major projects moving. We are taking care of our own — and building big again.