Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday he’s “happy as punch” that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was chosen to be U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris’ running mate for her presidential campaign.
Ford said he and Walz had a productive meeting at Queen’s Park just two months before the governor was asked to join the Democratic ticket, a choice that was made official on Tuesday.
“I was happy as punch to see the governor get nominated,” Ford told reporters at an unrelated press conference in Mississauga.
“We shared a lot in common when we sat down, we tossed the football around a little bit in my office. … We’re going to work well together if he gets elected.”
Walz made his debut as the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee at a raucous rally with Harris in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. His selection as Harris’s running mate has earned praise from Democrats and political analysts, who say he can appeal to Middle America voters by portraying liberal policies in a common-sense way.
As governor, Walz travelled to Canada in June to promote Minnesota as a trade and investment destination and deepen economic ties.
Photos from his meeting with Ford showed the two exchanged gifts, including a Minnesota licence plate reading “FORD” and a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Ford said Wednesday he also gifted Walz, who was a high school football coach and teacher before he entered politics, with a CFL football.
Minnesota shares a 885-kilometre border with Canada — and a trade economy worth billions of dollars every year.
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Ontario and Minnesota do $7.6 billion in two-way trade alone, and Ford said Wednesday his province is a top trading partner for the state.
Canada and Minnesota also each have more than 60 companies operating within each other’s borders, employing thousands of local workers.
Matthew Lebo, a political science professor at Western University, told Global News on Tuesday that Walz’s understanding of Canada-U.S. trade relations, along with Harris’s background growing up in Montreal, could ensure Canada remains a high priority if they win the election.
Ford reiterated that he plans to continue ensuring Ontario’s trade ties with the U.S. are maintained and strengthened regardless of whether Harris or Republican former president Donald Trump ends up in the White House.
“I’ll work with anyone, I don’t care whether Republican or Democrat, I don’t care who’s in there. We’ll work with them,” Ford said.
This is not the first time Ford has weighed in on what has become an unprecedented American election campaign.
He told reporters last month he was glad to see U.S. President Joe Biden end his re-election bid amid growing calls from Democrats for him to step aside.
While he thanked Biden for his five-decade career in public service, he added it was “pretty evident to everyone that it was time for him to move on.”
Ford then said he “felt sorry for” Biden during his lackluster performance at a June debate against Trump that raised public concerns about the 81-year-old Biden’s fitness for another four years in office.
Democrats quickly coalesced around Harris as the party’s nominee once Biden dropped out of the race, a position she officially secured on Monday just over two weeks after Biden’s announcement.
Ford has not shared his thoughts directly on Harris’ candidacy, but other Canadian politicians have.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh last month called the “idea” of a Harris presidency “incredible,” as she would be both the first woman and first South Asian person to be elected to the office, something he said would be “inspiring” to younger generations.
He also gave credit to both Biden and Harris for supporting unions and pursuing pro-worker policies, which he said aligns with the NDP’s goals.