After making the GST announcement, the PM travelled from Ottawa to Etobicoke to meet with Premier Ford at the Premier's house in Etobicoke today and the Premier took the PM to the Pizza Nova near his house for lunch.
It’s pizza in our time.
Premier
Doug Ford and Prime Minister
Mark Carney made peace over Pizza Nova slices Monday in Etobicoke.
Ford, who settled for a veggie piece, bought Carney a slice of Hawaiian, joking, “I know you will probably get me on taxes so I’ll pay for this.”
Monday’s confab at a Royal York Road plaza came after the premier had complained last week that the prime minister blindsided Ontario when he slashed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles earlier this month during a trade mission to Beijing.
Under the agreement, Canada will allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs with a tariff of 6.1 per cent — down from the previous 100 per cent tariff set by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2024 — in exchange for China reducing counter-tariffs on Canadian canola and seafood.
Ford had expressed outrage at the deal, worrying that it would hurt Ontario’s automotive industry and warning Carney had made “a terrible, terrible, miscalculated decision.”
When a pool reporter at the pizzeria photo op asked, “Did you guys make up?” the premier played down the rift.
“Listen, guys, we’re a big family and sometimes brothers and sisters may disagree,” said Ford.
“But at the end of the day, make no mistake about it, we are one country, we’re Team Canada, both of us,” he said, adding “we agree on 99 per cent of the stuff as we move forward.”
“I won’t speak for all the premiers, but I’m pretty sure they’re all on the same page.”
Carney, who noted he will be gathering the premiers for a first ministers’ meeting Thursday in Ottawa, concurred.
“Yeah, 100 per cent absolutely agree with the premier. We listed five things, five big topics, that we worked through the course of 45 minutes,” the prime minister said of their bilateral meeting.
Against the backdrop of U.S. President
Donald Trump’s tariffs on many Canadian goods, the leaders discussed the automotive business, critical minerals and energy.
Later Monday at Queen’s Park, Ford will meet with federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly to discuss the Ontario auto sector.
The premier is hoping Ottawa will make concessions to boost the domestic industry, including removing the mandate that 60 per cent of all new vehicles sold by 2030 be electric, rising to 100 per
cent by 2035.
Last September, Carney paused the Trudeau-era requirement for 20 per cent of vehicles sold in Canada in 2026 to be electric and his government is now considering next steps.
Sources told the Star that changes to the EV mandate are looming.The pizza parley was held around the corner from Ford’s home, which Carney has visited at least three times.
Last summer, the prime minister bunked at the premier’s Muskoka cottage before the first ministers’ meeting in Huntsville.
