Ford to legislate ‘economic priority areas,’ remove trade barriers to fight Trump tariffs
As the Ontario Legislature prepares to return after the snap February election, the Ford government is expected to table legislation to designate “economic priority areas” in the province — a law designed to help the province fast-track access to critical minerals in the Ring of Fire.
When Queen’s Park roars back to life on Monday, MPPs will take their seats for the first time since the election and elect a new speaker of the legislature before listening to the Speech from the Throne delivered by Lt. Gov. Edith Dumont.
Premier Doug Ford says the throne speech, which outlines the government’s priorities for the session, will be heavily focused on U.S. President Donald Trump and the Progressive Conservative party’s campaign promise to “protect Ontario.”
“Considering the position we’re in with President Donald Trump attacking us economically … it’s not business as usual,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park on Thursday. “We have to start moving as quickly as possible.”
The premier’s office said the first tariff-focused legislation, to be tabled on Wednesday, will look to eliminate trade barriers with other provinces, which is seen as a key step to lowering prices, offering consumers more choice while adding billions to the Canadian economy.
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“We’re getting rid of all exemptions right across the board, and I’m very confident that the rest of the provinces and territories will follow,” Ford said and suggested free internal trade would act as a counterbalance to American tariffs.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, whose government tabled similar legislation in February, will be at Queen’s Park to sign a memorandum of understanding with Ford on tearing down trade barriers.
Global News has learned the government will also table legislation to fast-track the approval and construction of new mines in the province, as the premier looks to promote Ontario’s untapped critical minerals supply — a key ingredient in the production of batteries required for electric vehicles.
The bill is expected to allow the province to designate “regions/zones of economic and security interest,” to allow the government to speed up the permitting process while legislating a “one project, one process approach.”
Once an area has been designated as one of “economic interest,” sources said, the province would potentially exempt the regions and projects from certain regulatory hurdles.
The goal, Ford said, was to dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to open a new mine and to cut down on duplication.
“It takes 15 years, as we stand right now, to get a permit. That’s unacceptable,” Ford said.
“We need to move quicker and get these critical minerals out of the ground, get them refined and out around the world, rather than just relying on (the U.S.).”
Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce said the legislation is intended to “seize this moment” of Canadian unity in the face of Trump’s tariffs.
“We have a rare opportunity as Canadians to responsibly get our resources to both the U.S. market and to new markets,” Lecce said.
“This can create a significant amount of jobs for Canadians and revenue for our government.”
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