this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford isn’t mincing words about Canada’s new electric vehicle deal with China, saying Friday that Chinese manufacturers are gaining a foothold in the country’s auto market at the expense of workers in this country.

“The federal government is inviting a flood of cheap made-in-China electric vehicles without any real guarantee of equal or immediate investments in Canada’s economy, auto sector or supply chain,” Ford said in a statement issued shortly after news of the deal broke.

“Worse, by lowering tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles this lopsided deal risks closing the door on Canadian automakers to the American market, our largest export destination, which would hurt our economy and lead to job losses.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, in a move that marks a major shift in the relationship between the two countries.

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[–] swordgeek@lemmy.ca 7 points 7 hours ago

Doug Ford says as much bullshit as Trump or Smith. Right now he's lining up for a run at the CPC leadership, so blathers on about national unity, while believing none of iy.

Ford is a grifter, a drug dealer, and a conservative in the WORST way. Don't listen to him.

[–] BurgerBaron@piefed.social 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

China EV capped at 3% of the total market in return Canola tariff drops from 100% to 15%...

Doug, shut the fuck up.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 49 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Basically all our car companies are American and abandoning EVs to make Trump happy. They’re also leaving and fucking is over. 

What’s there to protect?

[–] imrighthere@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 day ago

ford is looking to protect his own pocket, he doesn't give a fuck about anything or anyone else.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 day ago

The infrastructure and contractors in Canada aren't going anywhere, and the know-how might not think going south looks too hot.

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Ontario’s economy is heavily reliant on their auto industry that’s pretty tightly coupled to the US. I get why Ford needs to make statements like this. There’s a huge risk of disruption letting Chinese EVs into Canada.

On the flip side, coupling our industry to a burgeoning fascist state that has shown little interest in respecting treaties, trade agreements, and Canada is a stupider and stupider arrangement as every day passes.

So, great, Doug, you’re speaking up for your constituents. It’s just that decades of ghoulish decisions have put Ontario in that position, and something has to give. Being at the whim of Detroit corporations is no way forward.

[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 4 points 13 hours ago

Ontario’s economy is heavily reliant on their auto industry that’s pretty tightly coupled to the US.

Looking over statistics in Wikipedia, it's about 10% of the provincial economy, and not all automobile manufacturing in Canada is twinned to US companies (Honda and Toyota both operate plants as well, and probably have a better chance of competing with the Chinese companies). It's nearly all concentrated in a handful of cities in Southern Ontario. Their local economies would be in trouble if the US automakers pulled out, but I think the province as a whole would weather it, although some of Ford's more ambitious and useless projects would have to be put on hold due to the drop in tax revenue. Some of the factories and resource streams could probably be offered to non-US automakers or moved to manufacturing armoured vehicles, which (unfortunately) it looks like we may need more of anyway.

So, Ford is kind of speaking up for the short-term interests of a small, vocal subset of his constituents. The rest of us, not so much.

[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 8 points 21 hours ago

Imagine what could have been had Doug and the gang not canceled all the green projects and diversified our economy. But yay! we're gonna get tunnels under cars to drive more cars so,we can make more cars to get to work to make more cars.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Last name Ford.

Hates electric vehicles

Coincidence?

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We better watch out for Jim Toyota, then.

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Does this mean that John Tesla is a good guy? I'm confused.

[–] puppinstuff@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

No worse than Petey Pipeline, I’m sure.

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

We should absolutely be divesting from any industry that requires US cooperation to be profitable. Not only that, but US automakers have stagnated, resting on their laurels and refusing to innovate thanks to deep protectionist schemes. Time to retool our steel and aluminum refining and manufacturing industries to make something that's not poorly designed and built cars.

[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 day ago

We have Canadian automakers now?

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Basically Carney had to choose between Moe and Ford in this issue, there was no pleasing everybody here.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 7 points 23 hours ago

Carney needs the votes in Saskatchewan more than the votes in Ontario. Plus it just happens to be the best thing for the country.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is why PMs get annoyed with provinces.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Some of it is due to premiers safeguarding their own little fiefdoms. Heaven forbid they should work together for all of Canada. 🙄

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 7 points 1 day ago

It's what representative democracy is about. It would be nice if they'd recognize a little more that their personal fiefdoms would be forfeit if the US annexed us, though.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago

He could put more resources into making it attractive for manufacturers already in Ontario to transition to making affordable EVs (rather than the very few existing expensive and heavily optioned ones that are currently available)

To his point, my friend excitedly messaged me about this wondering how hard it would be to import a cheap BYD electric car from Canada to the USA...

But also yes PLEASE flood the market with cheap electric cars

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 day ago

It's either Marlaina or Druggie screaming into the void these days.