Premier Ford Calls on Carney to Speed Up Resource Projects, Remove Internal Trade Barriers

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks at an announcement in Toronto on Jan. 13 2025. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to speed up Ontario resource projects and break down trade barriers between provinces.

Ford made the comments while congratulating Carney on his victory in the April 28 federal election.

“Ontario stands ready to work with the federal government to unleash our economy by cutting red tape so we can make Canada’s economy more competitive, resilient and self-reliant, capable of withstanding tariffs and whatever challenges may come our way,” Ford said in an April 29 statement.

Ford said he was calling on Carney to fulfill his commitment to “speed up approvals for critical mineral and other resource development projects,” while emphasizing projects for Ontario’s so-called Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is a mineral-rich region in Northern Ontario located approximately 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Spanning approximately 5,000 square kilometres, the area contains chromite, nickel, copper, gold, zinc, and other valuable minerals.

Ford said he was also looking to Carney to support Ontario’s plan to build its first small modular reactor.

“We are ready to work with the new federal government to get these necessary projects, including highways, transit and energy infrastructure, funded, approved and built as quickly as possible,” Ford said in the statement.

Canada-wide Trade

Ford also said he expects Carney to follow through with his promise to remove federal barriers to internal trade by Canada Day.

“Ontario also stands ready to work with the federal government and other provinces and territories to tear down internal trade barriers and promote economic integration across Canada,” Ford said.

He said he expects the prime minister to support “new nation-building infrastructure,” including pipelines, railways, and seaports that will help Canadian products “reach new customers in new markets” and reduce trade reliance on the United States.

Increasing trade with other provinces was one of the main points in Ford’s throne speech on April 15, after winning a provincial election in February with a third majority government.

Ford said his government’s “first order of business” would be to introduce legislation is to break down trade barriers.

“Goods produced and services provided in other provinces and territories will be treated the same in Ontario, provided other provinces and territories do the same,” the throne speech said.

The premier included bail reform and national defence on his list of requests for Ottawa.

“I am calling on Prime Minister Carney to meet our national defence commitments, using Canadian-made equipment wherever possible, to support our workers and meet our obligations to our allies,” Ford said, adding that it was important for Canada to meet NATO’s spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).