With Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on all Canadian goods hanging over it, the Ford government is spending tens of millions of dollars on a new advertising campaign in the United States to promote Ontario’s role as a key trading partner.
A new commercial targeting Americans is set to launch Monday across the U.S., with plans to reach more than 100 million viewers through staples like Monday Night Football, Fox News and CNN.
“In the States, the 100 million viewers who are going to see this commercial and even more on Monday Night Football, you are really going to understand that it’s Ontario, it’s Canada (who) is a really valued trading partner,” Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli said in an interview on Focus Ontario.
“It’s really important just to remind them subtly: we’re a trusted partner to your north, we’ve always been there for you and we’ll be there for you tomorrow.”
Previewing the commercial earlier in the week, Premier Ford said the new advertising campaign is meant to send a “stronger together” message to all American jurisdictions highlighting Canada’s involvement in the mission in Afghanistan between 2011 and 2014, supporting American troops in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
“Every conflict we’ve had, we stand shoulder to shoulder, putting Canadian soldiers’ lives at risk,” Ford said, “because that’s what you do when a family member is in a fight around the world; you stand beside them, you support them.”
The commercial — which was exclusively first played on Focus Ontario — will roll out in Washington D.C. in December. Then, between January and March, it will target key states, including along the northern border, where jobs are especially reliant on the Ontario-U.S. relationship.
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“I think it is important that you be in the eyes of the president-elected, whether it’s Fox, or quite frankly CNN to make sure we cover both sides of the aisle,” Fedeli said.
Asked if Premier Ford would appear on Fox News, the trade minister said, “We’re not going to exclude anything.”
The future of U.S.-Canadian trade under a Trump presidency has dominated political dialogue in Ontario in recent weeks, particularly since the president-elect announced he would slap 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods when he takes office.
At a hastily organized news conference earlier in the week, Ford said the news of tariffs had come as a “shock” when Trump announced his plan in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“This is a shock that came to us last night and we’re going to address that shock,” Ford said outside his Queen’s Park office.
Ford suggested the Trump administration was betraying its closest ally – one with a two-way trading relationship of roughly $500 billion.
“I found his comments unfair, I found them insulting,” Ford said. “It’s like a family member stabbing you right in the heart.”
The premier said comparing Canada and Mexico was unfair, leaning into Republican rhetoric from the U.S.
“There’s illegal guns, there’s illegal drugs, there’s illegals coming across our border (from Mexico),” Ford said. “We have to tighten up our borders on both sides.”
Ford also acknowledged that Canada, Mexico and the U.S. are “intertwined” when it comes to the automotive supply chain and said it would be “hard to stop that supply chain.”
Mexico is currently listed as Canada’s third-largest trading partner, with a $55-billion two-way trading relationship forged after 80 years of diplomatic ties.
In 2023, nearly 60,000 Mexican workers came to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker program – 26,000 were seasonal agriculture workers at Ontario farms.
The advertisement campaign will cost tens of millions of dollars and could be extended beyond its planned expiration in March, depending on how the situation develops. It will run on national networks, written and online media and has a slot on the FOX Sports streaming app during the Super Bowl in February.
Alongside the advertising campaign, Fedeli has made several visits to the United States, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dined with president-elected Trump in Florida on Friday night.
Canada’s premiers also plan to make trips to the States to make their case.
“The premiers, I think, are looking to go down early in the new year as well. This is all part of a very well-phased-out campaign — there’s a lot at stake,” Fedeli said.
Focus Ontario premieres at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, on Global TV.
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