Ontario Premier Ford to Meet Carney, Push for Lower Taxes

Prime Minister Mark Carney listens to Ontario Premier Doug Ford speak at a meeting of Canada's premiers at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., on July 22, 2025. The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Aug. 18 in Ottawa, and he will use the opportunity to urge the federal government to lower taxes.

“We’re taxed to death, simple as that,” Ford said on Aug. 12 press conference, noting the highest marginal tax bracket is nearly 54 percent for those who make more than roughly $250,000 per year.

Ford said that when also accounting for all the taxable goods Canadians spend money on, “we are left with nothing in our pockets.” He added that he will also ask Carney to lower taxes on home purchases.

The premier noted that two decades ago, the Canadian corporate tax was lower than that in the United States, which is no longer the case.

“Let’s beat Trump at his own game,” Ford said. “Let’s make this the most competitive place in the world, because companies nowadays have choices. They are either going to go to a competitive place with great, smart people, or they’re going somewhere else and they’re going to get lower taxes,” he said.

The federal government has passed legislation to cut the lowest income tax bracket by 1 percent. Carney has also said he will cut GST for first-time homebuyers for homes under $1 million.

Ford also said he wants the Bank of Canada to lower interest rates, noting that higher interest rates have put a lot of pressure on people.

Bank of Canada announced on July 30 that it was maintaining its interest rate at 2.75 percent, as the global tariff uncertainty remained high. The Bank said it would assess future interest rate changes based on how much the U.S. tariffs reduce demand for Canadian exports, and how that impacts business investment, household spending, employment, and inflation.

While the Bank said Canada experienced growth in the first quarter of 2025 due to corporations “rushing to get ahead of tariffs” and building up inventory, the country’s GDP contracted by about 1.5 percent in the second quarter due to declining exports to the United States.