Ford says he plans to ‘eviscerate’ interprovincial trade barriers at Milton campaign stop

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford said at a campaign stop in Milton that a PC government would work to “eviscerate” interprovincial trade barriers.

Ford said he would remove all of Ontario’s remaining party-specific exemptions under the Canada Free Trade Agreement, enable direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, and recognize certifications across the country for workers in key sectors such as trucking.

The PC Leader, alongside Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, also announced plans to visit Washington, D.C. on Friday and meet with U.S. officials about the looming threat of tariffs.

“Donald Trump thinks he can break the Canadian spirit,” Ford said.

“He thinks he can pit region against region. I can tell you, he’s 100 per cent wrong. He’s underestimated us as Canadians.”

Ford took questions from reporters for the first time in 10 days, and waved off a question about his notable lack of public events.

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Meanwhile, Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie was at the Canadian Club in Toronto, where she pledged to cover mental health care under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

She told the audience that productivity is directly related to mental health in their companies’ workforces.

Crombie has made health care the focal point of her campaign, promising to get every Ontarian a family doctor within four years and bring in a centralized referral system.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles cast her ballot Thursday as advance voting opened, and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner made a stop in Kitchener.

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– With files from The Canadian Press