The gloves are off in Ontario as Premier Doug Ford launches a multi-pronged strategy to shield the province’s steel and aluminum sectors from the economic fallout of President Trump’s renewed tariffs. “We won’t leave a single worker behind,” Ford declared yesterday during an emergency meeting with industry leaders in Hamilton, where smokestacks have defined the skyline for generations.
Trump’s decision to reimpose 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and 10% on aluminum has sent shockwaves through Ontario’s industrial heartland. The region employs over 40,000 workers in direct production and more than 100,000 in related industries according to Industry Canada figures released last month.
“This isn’t just about trade numbers,” Ford told me during a brief interview after the Hamilton meeting. “These are real families, real communities built around these mills. We’re talking about fifth-generation steelworkers whose great-grandfathers helped build this country.”
Ford’s $380 million response package includes direct subsidies for affected companies, retraining programs for workers, and accelerated depreciation allowances for new equipment investments. The provincial government estimates this could offset approximately 40% of the tariff impact in the short term.
In what some policy analysts view as a shrewd political maneuver, Ford has simultaneously criticized both the federal government for “diplomatic failures” and the Trump administration for “economic friendly fire against allies.” This balanced approach appears calibrated to appeal to his base while maintaining credibility with labor unions traditionally aligned with left-leaning parties.
“The premier is walking a tightrope here,” explains Samantha Krishnan, trade policy director at the University of Toronto’s Munk School. “He needs to show strength against American protectionism while not alienating a U.S. administration that could retaliate further. Meanwhile, he can’t be seen as too cooperative with Ottawa during an election cycle.”
I’ve spent the past week traveling through Ontario’s rust belt, where anxiety runs high but resilience remains a point of pride. In Sault Ste. Marie, where Algoma Steel employs nearly 3,000 workers, shift supervisor Marco Belluzzo showed me around facilities that have weathered previous trade wars.
“We survived the 2018 tariffs. We’ll survive these too,” Belluzzo said, gesturing toward the massive basic oxygen furnace behind him. “But it takes a toll. Every time this happens, some smaller suppliers don’t make it back.”
Ford’s strategy diverges significantly from his approach during the 2018-2019 tariff period, when his government’s response was criticized as reactive and insufficient. This time, the province has moved quickly to establish a Steel and Aluminum Competitiveness Council that will meet biweekly to monitor impacts and adjust support programs.
The package also includes $75 million for infrastructure projects that will mandate the use of Ontario-produced steel and aluminum, potentially creating a guaranteed market for affected producers. Additional measures focus on reducing electricity costs for industrial users, addressing a long-standing competitive disadvantage for Ontario manufacturers.
Critics from the opposition New Democratic Party have called the response “too little, too late,” pointing out that Ford’s earlier cuts to worker protection programs left the sector vulnerable. Labor leaders have offered cautious support while demanding stronger commitments to prevent plant closures during the tariff period.
“We need guarantees, not just subsidies,” United Steelworkers Ontario director Marty Warren told reporters yesterday. “Companies could take government money and still move production south if it makes financial sense.”
The federal-provincial coordination appears strained. Sources close to the discussions reveal that Ottawa was given less than 24 hours’ notice before Ford’s announcement, creating what one federal official described as “unnecessary complications” in Canada’s united response to the tariffs.
From my conversations with workers in affected communities, the political maneuvering matters less than concrete action. In Nanticoke, where Stelco’s Lake Erie Works employs 1,100 people, machine operator Jasmine Thibault expressed the sentiment I heard repeatedly.
“I don’t care who gets credit or who blames who,” she said during her lunch break. “I just need to know my job will be here next year when my daughter starts college.”
Economic analysis from the Royal Bank of Canada suggests Ontario could lose up to $2 billion in GDP and 8,000 jobs if the tariffs remain in place for more than six months. Ford’s team believes their intervention can reduce those losses by up to 60%.
For communities like Hamilton, where steel has been produced since 1893, the stakes extend beyond economics. “This isn’t just an industry,” Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath explained as we toured the waterfront where mills and shipping facilities stretch for kilometers. “It’s our identity, our history, and still our future.”
Ford’s response, while substantial, leaves open questions about long-term industrial strategy. The package lacks significant investments in green steel technologies that European and Asian producers are rapidly adopting. Without addressing this innovation gap, Ontario producers may find themselves increasingly uncompetitive regardless of tariff situations.
As regional leaders await details on implementation, Ford has promised that assistance will begin flowing within 30 days. “The Americans have their America First policy,” Ford concluded at yesterday’s announcement. “Well, I’ve got an Ontario First policy, and I’m not apologizing for it.”
