The Morning After: Ontario cancels then un-cancels its Starlink contract over tariff trade war

After President Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Canadian imported goods (and Canada announced its own 25 percent tariff on American imported goods), Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario — and a former supporter of President Trump — announced the Canadian territory would be “ripping up” a $100 million contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink. The contract was signed in November last year.

Musk, boss of Starlink and the richest man in the world, is a close confidant of Trump and has control over the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE (urgh), tasked with cost-cutting and deregulation in government.

Ford believed this was enough to link Musk (and his businesses) to Trump’s tariffs. He said Ontario “won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy” and that Musk wants to “take food off the table” of hard-working Canadians. Ford also commanded the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to remove American-made spirits from store shelves. (Oh no, not the Tito’s vodka!)

It’s since de-escalated. After Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump agreed to pause the tariff standoff for 30 days, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was also pausing the province’s cancelation of its Starlink contract.

— Mat …read more