Canada’s Doug Ford, once pro-Trump, is now the loudest voice against tariffs : NPR

During Doug Ford's election campaign to become Premier of Ontario in 2018, he create a Trump atmosphere. Along the way, he attacked the media and elites, opposed climate action, promised to cut income taxes and gas prices, and even expressed support for President Trump's policies.

It may be surprising, then, that Ford, who now oversees Canada's largest province, has led the fight against Trump's harsh tariffs as Mark's premier. Carney tries to cope with the consequences due to trade tensions between the US and Canada.

In recent months, Ford criticism of Trump has been growing, recently in the form television advertising with the words of President Ronald Reagan's warning in 1987 radio message against the dangers of protectionism. The ad drew Trump's ire and appeared, at least temporarily, to have an effect. failed trade negotiations between two countries.

Who exactly is Doug Ford and what explains this political 180-degree turn?

Three generations of the former businessman's family have held elected office, with Ford beginning his political career on Toronto City Council from 2010 to 2014.

This period was marked by the dramatic fall of his younger brother, then-Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who admitted to smoking crack cocaine and then he was haunted by evidence of a string of other offensive behavior.

The same year that Rob Ford publicly admitted to drug use, Globe and mail published an exposé stating that the brothers were dealing hashish in the 1980s.

Rob Ford died from a rare form of cancer in 2016.

Moving from right to center

Just two years after his brother's death, Doug Ford's political fortunes blossomed. He and his center-right Progressive Conservative Party. won a majority in Ontariocausing discontent with the Liberal Party, which had been in power in the province for 15 years.

“Doug Ford was elected in large part to get rid of a very unpopular government,” says Steve Paikin, a longtime political scientist and host of the program. Podcast PikeA weekly podcast about current events in Canada.

Paikin says that after Ford's success in 2018, he made the mistake of thinking Ontario would vote for his agenda, when in fact the Progressive Conservatives' electoral success was largely about eliminating the Liberals.

“He came to power by practicing a kind of disruptive, high-energy populism on steroids that made his government, frankly, the most unpopular I've ever seen,” says Paikin.

Then he decided to turn towards the center. In subsequent years, Ford reached out to Canada's left, including the current Prime Minister. He also won praise even from critics for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario.

“COVID saved him. When the COVID crisis hit, he suddenly realized that all the populist, anti-science, anti-expert, 'we'll just throw our hands at it' kind of thing wasn't going to work,” Paikin says. “He suddenly realized that I needed to rely on the experts.”

NPR reached out to Ford's office for an interview with the prime minister but did not hear back.

From Trump enthusiast to Captain Canada

When former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would resign this March, just as the White House was preparing tariffs for April 2 “Liberation Day,” Ford stepped in to fill the vacuum. becomes the voice of the anti-tariff response.

By the time of his second bid for re-election Earlier this year, Ford's early enthusiasm for Trump had long since faded. While on the campaign trail, he wore a baseball cap that poked fun at red “Make America Great Again” caps—the blue cap Ford wore at a news conference in January read, “Canada is not for sale.”

“President Trump is promising high, sweeping tariffs that will devastate our economy and put hundreds of thousands of people out of work,” Ford told voters. “Whether he imposes tariffs next week, next month, or waits a year, President Trump's threats will not go away. With a strong mandate from the people, I will do everything I can to protect Ontario.”

After winning re-election in February, Ford threatened to cut off power to U.S. homes in retaliation for the tariffs and Trump's threats to annex Canada. Ford also canceled contract for 100 million dollars with Elon Musk's SpaceX to provide Starlink services to the country.

Ford's attitude earned him the nickname “Captain Canada”.

From “bad cop” to “good cop” Carney.

Trump announced on Friday that he was stopping all trade negotiations with Canada because of the ad featuring Reagan. Ford subsequently stated that after speaking with Carney, he decided to pause the advertising campaign, calling it a success because it reached American audiences.

IN X post on Friday, Ford wrote: “Canada and the United States are friends, neighbors and allies.” In a statement later he said: “Our intention has always been to spark a conversation about the kind of economy Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”

“We have achieved our goal of reaching American audiences at the highest level,” he added.

Paikin suggests that because of their close relationship, Carney and Ford are playing a game of “good cop, bad cop” with the anti-tariff ads – Ford ramping up the rhetoric while Carney plays deal maker.

“Mark Carney ran on a platform with his elbows up, and since he became prime minister the elbows have definitely been down,” says Paikin. “He's trying to take a more subdued approach.”

“The other side of the coin [that] Doug Ford is free to do whatever he wants.”