Early in Doug Ford’s first term as premier, he made no secret of admiring Donald Trump’s governing style and brand of populism.
Trump was in his first term as U.S. president and the two men had so much in common. They both enjoyed bullying reporters who dared ask tough questions. Trump famously called the media “the enemy of the people.” Ford called his least favourite reporters “a bunch of liars” who simply “want blood.”
Trump has been the most important Republican in the United States for a decade. Ford once said: “God bless the president and don’t get me wrong — full disclosure: I’m a big Republican.”
During Ford’s first trip to the U.S. as premier, he was interviewed by an American journalist, during which time he repeated his praise of Trump and referred to the Democrats as a bunch of socialists.
Trump and Ford also have a tragic connection: they both lost a brother, and both of those brothers had an addiction to alcohol. Trump’s brother Fred died in 1981 at age 42 from a heart attack brought on in part by alcohol abuse. Ford’s brother Rob, the former mayor of Toronto, died in 2016 at age 46 from a rare form of cancer. However, his time in politics was frequently marked by incidents of public drunkenness and drug addiction. Rob Ford also spent time in a drug rehabilitation facility during his mayoralty.
It's likely not a coincidence that neither Donald Trump nor Doug Ford ever touches a drop of alcohol — another thing they have in common.
But the Trump-Ford bromance encountered its first significant obstacle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump refused to allow any personal protective equipment for health-care workers to be shipped across the border from Michigan to Ontario, and Ford was stung with disbelief.
“I’m not going to rely on President Trump, or any prime minister or president of any other country again,” the premier said, instead urging on Ontario businesses to create our own stock.
Not only did Ford’s personal admiration for Trump dissipate, but he also came to understand it as a major political liability. Polls consistently showed Ontarians had no time for Trump’s act and Ford took note.
Now that Trump has decided to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Ontario goods going into the U.S., Ford has become the most bellicose anti-Trumper in Canadian politics. The premier almost immediately instructed the LCBO to remove all American-made wines and spirits from its shelves. He has previously threatened to turn out the lights on residents in border states that purchase electricity from Ontario sources. (We’ll wait to see if he makes good on that threat.)
And just this morning, Ford announced American companies will be forbidden from bidding on provincial government contracts. And he insisted he’d be ripping up the Starlink deal recently signed with Elon Musk.
“They have only President Trump to blame,” Ford said. “Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy.”
I’m reliably advised that Ford is personally heartbroken at what’s happened to the U.S.-Canada relationship, not to mention his own previously-held admiration for Trump, which is now gone. More than any other leader of significance in our country, Ford has given voice to those who are furious at Trump’s treatment of America’s most reliable ally for more than 200 years.
“He thinks he can break Canada. He thinks he can buy Canada,” Ford said of Trump last Friday during an Ontario election campaign stop. “He doesn’t know what we know: the Canadian spirit can never be broken. And friends, Canada is not for sale.”
While other politicians have spoken forcefully against Trump (Elizabeth May, Jagmeet Singh, Charlie Angus, Chrystia Freeland to name some), the reality is none of them has the responsibilities Ford has. So, when Ford says, “Canada is a strong country, stronger than Donald Trump thinks, stronger than he will ever know. I believe we should hit back, hit back hard, and hit back strong,” people take note.
“President Trump wants to divide us,” the premier continued last Friday. “To President Trump I can only say this: this is not a smart move. It’s selfish. It not only hurts Canadians, it hurts your own people.”
The Trump tariffs are so ill-advised even Conrad Black has criticized his friend, the president, telling his readers in the New York Sun: “The sooner the United States reverses this poisoning of Canada-US relations to an extent that has had no precedent in more than 150 years, the better for both countries and the West.” When Trump has lost Lord Black of Crossharbour, you know the policy he’s championing is a turkey.
For all the efforts that go into predicting what’s coming down the road in politics, many prognosticators did not foresee Trump’s re-election last November. Even fewer would have imagined that his toughest critic would be his fellow populist, Douglas Robert Ford, Jr.
And yet, here we are.
Normally, I’d drink a toast to Canada’s good health with a glass of Jack Daniel’s on ice. Not today. I’m sure there’s a tasty ice wine from Niagara-on-the-Lake or Prince Edward County that’ll do the job just as nicely. While I’m at it, I’ve got Maple Leaf tickets next month to see the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. And with apologies to my captain, Auston Matthews (California-born, Arizona-raised): yes, I’ll be lustily booing the Star Spangled Banner with everything I’ve got.
Blame Donald.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the year of Fred Trump's death. TVO Today regrets the error.