Ontario Premier Says Republicans Should Lose Congress Over Trade War

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he hopes Republicans lose control of the U.S. House and Senate in the next midterm elections as a way to hold President Donald Trump accountable for escalating trade tensions with Canada. Ford, one of Trump’s sharpest critics in Canada, said he believes the president is trying to pull Ontario jobs and businesses into the United States. He also argued Trump is unpredictable in negotiations and said Canada should return to the table to pursue a deal before the midterms. The remarks come after the U.S. expanded trade restrictions on some Canadian products, including dairy items, motorcycles and many alcoholic beverages, following Canadian retaliation on roughly $20 billion worth of U.S. goods. The dispute has also included Trump pulling back from earlier trade talks and using an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” a move Canada does not recognize. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government is still reviewing the latest U.S. measures and may wait before taking further retaliation, calling the new steps relatively modest compared with earlier actions.