Premiers Aligned to Keep Mexico out of US Trade Deal Given Chinese Imports Concern: Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to reporters as Canada's premiers hold a press conference to close the Council of the Federation meetings in Halifax on July 17, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

All 13 provincial and territorial premiers are aligned on a push for the federal government to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday.

Ford, who is the current chair of the Council of the Federation, the group of Canada’s 13 premiers, said they had a call and there is a clear consensus that the country needs separate agreements with the U.S. and Mexico.