Ontario Premier Doug Ford, once a vocal supporter of both Donald Trump and Elon Musk, has taken a sharp turn, announcing the cancellation of a $100-million contract with Musk’s SpaceX and barring American businesses from provincial contracts in response to US tariffs.
“We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink,” Ford declared at a press conference Monday.
“Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy.”
The move is part of Ontario’s retaliation against sweeping 25% tariffs imposed by US president Trump on Canadian goods. In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced matching tariffs on $155 billion worth of American imports, including electric vehicles from Tesla.
Ford’s fiery rhetoric and swift action mark a stark contrast to his past praise for Trump. In 2016, Ford described Trump as a “marketing genius” with “strong moral fibre” and said the US needed an anti-establishment leader like him.
“I’ll never support that guy (Trump) again. He goes up and just stabs you right in the heart.”Ontario Premier Doug Ford
No more.
“I’ll never support that guy again,” Ford said. “He goes up and just stabs you right in the heart.”
Now, the Ontario premier is openly blaming the former president for the economic turmoil.
“US-based businesses will now lose out on tens of billions of dollars in new revenues,” Ford said, adding, “They only have President Trump to blame.”
Ford’s fallout with Musk comes amid growing controversy over the billionaire’s close ties to Trump’s administration. Musk has donated $200 million to a pro-Trump super PAC and has been meeting with the former president at his Florida resort.
Musk was nonplussed by Ford's actions.
"Oh well," he said on X.
He has also been working with former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Trump’s newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Despite signing the Starlink contract in November 2024 as part of a $4-billion provincial plan to expand high-speed internet access, Ford now says Musk is aligned with an administration that is actively undermining Ontario’s economy.
“Musk is part of the Trump team that wants to destroy families, incomes, destroy businesses,” Ford said Monday.
The backlash from Ontario’s opposition parties has been swift, with Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie calling the reversal “just another backtrack by Doug on his backward priorities.”
Likewise, NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized the initial Starlink deal as an overpriced project that never made financial sense.
Meanwhile, Ford, who is in the middle of a snap election campaign, has doubled down on his aggressive stance. Over the weekend, he ordered the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to remove American products from store shelves as part of his broader strategy to hit back at the US.