Ontario Premier Doug Ford is heading to Texas next week with a clear mission. He wants to convince American business leaders that tariffs hurt everyone. The multi-day trip will take him through Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
Ford’s message is straightforward: Trump’s tariffs are backfiring. “President Trump’s tariffs on Canada are a tax on the U.S., costing the economy and families on both sides of the border billions,” his office stated. The steel and automobile sectors have been hit particularly hard in Ontario.
This isn’t Ford’s first rodeo when it comes to cross-border diplomacy. Last December, he was in New York signing a nuclear energy cooperation agreement with Governor Kathy Hochul. But his Texas visit comes at a more precarious moment for trade relations.
The relationship between Ottawa and Washington hit a rough patch last October. Ford’s government ran a television ad in the United States featuring audio from an anti-tariff speech by Ronald Reagan. Trump didn’t appreciate the approach and called off negotiations entirely, slamming the ad as “fake.”
Ford pulled the ad but never apologized for it. He actually called it “the best ad that’s ever been run.” That confidence reflects his broader strategy of direct engagement with American power brokers, regardless of political party.
The Texas trip is packed with meetings. Ford will sit down with representatives from WM (formerly Waste Management), Westlake Corporation, Waste Connections, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc. He’ll also connect with executives from Compass Datacenters, Toyota, Hewlett Packard, and McKesson, a major healthcare company.
On Thursday, Ford will meet Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott is a Republican and a Trump ally who’s been in office since 2014. He’s running for another term this fall with Trump’s endorsement. The two governors have never met before, which makes this a relationship-building exercise as much as a policy discussion.
Abbott’s support matters because Texas is massive economically. The state’s GDP rivals that of entire countries. If Ford can win over Texas business interests and political leaders, it strengthens Ontario’s position in trade negotiations.
Ford’s office emphasized that he’s been meeting with lawmakers from both parties “at both the national and state levels, to build relationships and share his vision for Fortress Am-Can.” That’s Ford’s branding for a closer economic and security partnership between Canada and the United States.
The Fortress Am-Can concept is Ford’s attempt to reframe the relationship. Instead of focusing on disputes, he wants to emphasize shared prosperity and security. It’s a pitch that resonates with some American politicians worried about global competition.
While Ford works the Texas angle, federal negotiations continue. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc was in Washington earlier this month meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement renegotiation is underway, and provinces like Ontario have a lot at stake.
Ford isn’t the only Ontario politician heading south next week. Energy and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce will be in Washington on Monday with a delegation from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. They’re planning to meet with policymakers and industry associations to reinforce the same message: maintain CUSMA and eliminate the tariffs.
The dual approach reflects how provinces are increasingly active in international trade diplomacy. While the federal government leads formal negotiations, premiers like Ford are out there making their case directly. It’s a strategy born of necessity given how integrated the economies are.
Ontario’s economy depends heavily on cross-border trade. The automotive sector alone employs tens of thousands of workers in the province. When tariffs disrupt supply chains, it’s not just corporate balance sheets that suffer. Workers and their families feel the impact immediately.
Ford’s pitch to Texas business leaders will likely emphasize mutual dependency. Canadian resources and manufacturing feed American industries. American investment and markets support Canadian jobs. Tariffs gum up a system that works well when left alone.
The timing of the trip is deliberate. CUSMA renegotiations are heating up, and the tariffs remain in place despite months of diplomatic effort. Ford seems to believe that direct engagement with state leaders and business executives can create pressure on the federal level.
Whether that strategy works remains to be seen. Trump has shown he’s willing to use tariffs as a negotiating tool regardless of economic logic. But Ford is betting that Texas Republicans who care about their state’s economy might help shift the conversation.
The premier’s hands-on approach to trade diplomacy has become a defining feature of his leadership. He’s not waiting for federal officials to sort things out. He’s getting on planes and making his case directly to whoever will listen.
That approach has risks. The Reagan ad debacle showed how easily these efforts can backfire. But it also reflects a political reality: premiers who want to protect their economies can’t afford to sit on the sidelines.
Ford’s Texas trip will test whether personal diplomacy can move the needle on tariffs. He’ll return next week with either new commitments from business leaders or just more talking points. Either way, the trade fight continues.
