Ontario Premier Doug Ford is heading to Washington this week, stepping directly into the strained trade relationship between Canada and the United States. The trip comes at a moment when tensions over tariffs continue to weigh on the two countries. For Ford, it is a chance to make Ontario's case in person at the heart of American power.
The visit is set to be a busy one. According to the Toronto Star, Ford will hold a two-day trip focused squarely on free trade and tariffs. Over those days he is expected to meet with business leaders, lawmakers and officials from the Trump administration.
One of the headline meetings involves a major business voice. Ford is set to meet the chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during the trip, a meeting aimed at building support among the American business community. It places the premier alongside one of the most influential lobbies in Washington.
The purpose of the mission is clear. Ford is travelling in an effort to promote free trade and to lobby against Trump's tariffs on Canadian products. The premier is using the trip to push back directly against the measures that have hit Canadian goods.
The political side of the visit is also mapped out. A Tuesday meeting is planned with U.S. lawmakers and Trump administration officials, taking Ford's argument to those with a hand in trade policy. That combination of business and political meetings underlines the breadth of the lobbying effort.
Behind the timing is a looming deadline. The trip comes as a July 1st date approaches for a mandatory review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement. With that pact long seen as crucial to Canada's economy, the review gives added urgency to Ford's push in Washington this week.