TRENTON, Canada

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that he is triggering an election call next week, looking for strong public ammunition to fight US tariffs, should they become reality.​​​​​​​

American President Donald Trump is on record as saying he will slap 25% tariffs Feb. 1 on goods imported from both Canada and Mexico, which are expected to be devastating for the economy of Canada and its provinces like Ontario.

The premier of Ontario – Canada’s most populated province (about 16 million) – said he will spend “tens of billions of dollars” to keep the provincial economy from tanking due to the tariffs.

“We need a mandate from the people to fight against Donald Trump’s tariffs, Ford said at a press conference in Brampton, near Toronto. “The attack – he’s coming against our families, our businesses, our communities.”

“With a strong mandate, we will be able to fight with Donald Trump to make sure we stop the tariffs and make sure we give certainty to the people of Ontario,” Ford said.

He did not name a specific date for the Ontario election.

Ford also said with the looming tariff threat, strong leadership is needed from the federal government. But there is uncertainty as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party. A Liberal convention has been called to anoint a new leader but that is more than a month away with the vote taking place March 9.

Once the leader is chosen, it will lead to a federal election, maybe as late as this fall.

“At the federal level, we don’t know who is going to be the next prime minister,” Ford said. “Right now, we need strong leadership in this country, we need strong leadership in this province and we are going to deliver that strong leadership for the people of Ontario.”