Canadian ministers, Ontario premier to meet with Lutnick as tariff fight continues

Ministers LeBlanc, Joly and Champagne discuss how they will maintain trust with Howard Lutnick and Marco Rubio when they meet in Washington on Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Canadian officials are set to meet with the U.S. commerce secretary in Washington today — days after a dust-up with U.S. President Donald Trump that ended with Ontario pausing its surcharge on electricity exports to the United States.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are meeting with Howard Lutnick, and Ford says his goal for the meeting is to get a coherent sense of the Trump administration’s plans for tariffs.

Trump expanded his global trade war on Wednesday by hitting every country, including Canada, with 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The day before, Trump threatened to double those duties on Canada but backed down after Ford agreed to halt a surcharge on electricity that Ontario sells to three U.S. states.

Elsewhere in the American capital, Trump’s choice for the next U.S ambassador to Canada is set to take questions today as the relationship between the two countries is strained by tariffs and threats of annexation.

Pete Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a nomination hearing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press