FORD: Kiss my ass loser!!

Here’s your latest update on the rapidly escalating trade war between Canada and the United States, because somehow things have gotten even more heated today.

Donald Trump started the morning by threatening to impose 50 per cent tariffs on all Canadian-made cars, trucks, auto parts and steel beginning January 1.

Now, Canadian steel has already been subject to tariffs as high as 50 per cent since last year, so I’m not entirely sure what Trump thinks he’s announcing there.

But the threat against the Canadian auto industry is significant.

Right now, Canada has no intention of going back to the negotiating table.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will return to negotiations when the United States demonstrates the “right attitude.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also decided that diplomacy may have officially left the building. When asked about Trump’s latest tariff threat this morning, Ford’s response was pretty simple:

“He can kiss my ass.”

Yes, the premier of Ontario actually said that. And he didn’t stop there.

Ford later called Trump a loser, the “king of bankruptcies,” a dictator and a bully. He also threatened a much more aggressive Canadian response, including restricting American access to critical minerals and potentially putting a surcharge on electricity Ontario exports to the United States.

Ford was scheduled to speak with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith this afternoon, and Smith later released a statement acknowledging that Ontario is being hit particularly hard by Trump’s tariffs.

But Smith maintained that Alberta’s oil and gas remain off the table when it comes to retaliation.

Donald Trump apparently wasn’t thrilled with Ford’s comments.

While Ford was holding his press conference, Trump went after him and Canada on social media.

And as usual, most of it was pretty disgusting and disrespectful.

Trump again referred to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “Governor Carney” and called the Ontario premier “Flunky Ford.”

He also warned that someone needs to get Canada’s leaders to “fall in line,” threatening that otherwise the consequences for Canada would become much worse.

Trump also claimed the United States will always be far bigger, richer and stronger than Canada.

Anyway, if we really want to get technical about the “bigger” part, Canada is the second-largest country in the world by total area.

The United States is third.

Trump also claimed Canada’s unemployment rate is 10 per cent and rapidly rising.

That is simply false. Canada’s unemployment rate actually fell last month to 6.4 per cent. And Canada’s recent job numbers have actually been pretty strong compared with the United States. Canada added 75,000 jobs last month, while the United States lost 23,000. Looking more broadly, Canada added roughly three times as many jobs per capita as the United States in 2025.

Tomorrow, the federal government is expected to announce the details of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs.

Carney has already promised a dollar-for-dollar response to the latest American tariffs.

We’re being told the government intends to target a wide range of American products where Canadian alternatives are available, presumably with the goal of inflicting economic pressure on the United States while limiting the impact on Canadian consumers and businesses.

Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for you right now.

Stay tuned though, because at the rate things are moving, this could all change again by tomorrow morning.

With all of the trade bluster today, you may have missed some pretty important political news out of British Columbia.

Ian Paton, the MLA for Delta South, has left the B.C. Conservative caucus under newly elected leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.

Paton says he intends to join Peter Milobar, who left the B.C. Conservatives earlier this month, to form an entirely new political party. Paton says the direction of the Conservatives under Findlay no longer aligns with his beliefs.

He and Milobar say their new party intends to “give a home to those who feel politically homeless” in British Columbia.

And Milobar suggested today that they may not be the last Conservatives to leave.

He said he’s heard from other members of the Conservative caucus and that “some may still come, some may not.”

This is becoming a real problem for Findlay.

Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gasper has resigned her seat, clearing the way for Findlay to run there in a byelection and attempt to enter the B.C. legislature herself.

Findlay is trying to establish herself as the leader who could take the Conservatives into government at the next election.

But before she can do that, she may first have to stop her own party from coming apart.