‘Fortress North America’: What’s Doug Ford doing in Washington? Here’s what we know

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WASHINGTON – Ontario Premier Doug Ford is halfway through a two-day trip to Washington, D.C. to talk trade, with no events open to the media Monday and limited visibility as to exactly what he’s up to beyond a few social media posts.

The Premier posted a photo of himself with Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Mark Wiseman, on the rooftop of the Canadian embassy with the U.S. Capitol building in the background, along with Ontario Trade Minister Vic Fedeli.

The post said he “kicked off” the D.C. trip speaking to Wiseman about “how we can work together to make the case for a tariff-free trade in North America.”

Ahead of Ford’s trip, his office shared a statement about its focus, geared around fighting for Ontario, pressing a case against tariffs, and championing what Ford has termed “Fortress North America.”

A spokesperson described that as a “bold vision for how Canada, the U.S. and Mexico can work together to lower costs, create a jobs boom, and protect our shared security.”

Ontario’s representative in Washington, David Paterson, says the phrase has grown some roots south of the border over time.

“Now it’s fascinating to hear members of the (U.S.) president’s cabinet saying, ‘let’s do Fortress North America,’” Paterson told CTV News last week, speaking about trip preparations.

Paterson said Ford’s meetings in Washington are with auto sector leads, the farm community and agricultural representatives, a range of businesses and “several very high-ranking members of U.S. Congress,” describing the itinerary as “packed.”

He called the premier “an enormous asset,” due to his business experience working in the United States and his conservative stripes.

“He’s a conservative politician that doesn’t like taxes and believes that growth comes from helping our businesses grow, and that’s very common to what the Republican Party is interested in here too.”

Paterson says among “people that talk to the President every day, we have a lot of commonality.”

However, Ford’s history in the U.S.-Canada trade war has been fraught. U.S. President Donald Trump called off trade talks after Ford ran a now infamous ad featuring Ronald Reagan. Just last week, he referenced Trump as being “back on his high horse” talking about Canada as the 51^st state.

Monday afternoon, the premier posted photos of a roundtable discussion with the industry group Autos Drive America. He also had a meeting with the American Farm Bureau Federation and sat down with the American Automotive Policy Council. Ford’s office declined to provide further details about who attended, or other events of the day.

On Monday night, the premier will co-host a reception with American billionaire and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chairman Ross Perot Jr.

An industry source tells CTV News it’s largely being attended by American businesses with an interest in Canada, and discussions with Ford are more broadly about Canadian bilateral issues, rather than Ontario-specific.

CTV News asked LeBlanc’s office if there was anything to share in reaction to the premier’s trip but did not get a response.

With files from CTV News’ Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Siobhan Morris