Are Ilhan Omar’s Days In Congress

Then came the line about Ford’s late brother Rob Ford — Canada’s most famous mayor, who became internationally famous for his extraordinary personal behavior — that will follow Doug Ford for the remainder of his political career: “lots of ‘bluster’ from Doug Ford, who is the Premier of the Canadian Province of Ontario, but who is better known as the less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive brother of the late, great, Rob Ford.”

That’s going to leave a mark.

The broader context matters enormously. The Friday trade deal deadline passed without resolution, triggering U.S. tariffs of 50 percent on Canadian imports. Canada responded with countermeasures. Trump has since announced 50 percent tariffs on vehicle supply chains starting in 2027. The trade war that Canada’s government convinced itself it could win with the right combination of retaliatory measures and international pressure is not going the way Carney and Ford calculated.

The electricity threat in particular deserves to be examined for what it actually is — an empty one. Ontario does export electricity to American states, primarily in the Northeast. But that relationship is bilateral. Canada needs American energy infrastructure at least as much as American states need Ontario’s output — and the American grid has proven considerably more resilient to diversification than Canadian leaders seem to understand when making threats from positions of fundamental economic dependence.

Trump’s reminder: “Much of the Electricity, Oil, and Gas that Canada gets is transported through the U.S.A.” That’s the leverage Canada seems to have forgotten it doesn’t have. Threatening to cut power to American businesses while your own electricity and petroleum depend on American infrastructure is a negotiating position built on sand.

“Someone should get these clowns to ‘fall in line’ or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!”

The businesses fleeing Canada for the United States aren’t fleeing because of American tariffs. They’re fleeing because of Canadian governance, Canadian taxes, and Canadian policies that make doing business there increasingly untenable. The tariff dispute accelerated the exodus but didn’t create it.

Ford wants to cut America off from Ontario’s electricity. Trump reminded him that Canada needs America more than America needs Canada.

The clowns should fall in line. The consequences otherwise will be far worse.

Trump means it. He usually does.