Ontario Premier Doug Ford was overjoyed after he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney and his fellow premiers in Saskatoon on Monday, calling the encounter the best in the last decade.
As Chair of Canada’s Premiers, Ford went as far as comparing Carney to “Santa Claus” bearing gifts.
“This has been the best meeting we’ve had in ten years,” said Ford. “We all walked out of that room united. That’s the most important thing.”
“I described him today as Santa Claus. He’s coming. And his sled was full of all sorts of stuff. Now he’s taking off back to the North Pole. He’s going to sort it out, and then he’s going to call us,” added Ford.
The meeting was marked by unusual consensus among the premiers and the federal government, as Carney outlined a new two-year timeline for approving nation-building projects under a streamlined federal process. The plan includes eliminating internal trade barriers and forming Indigenous equity partnerships.
“This meeting demonstrated how we can give ourselves far more than any foreign government can ever take away,” said Carney.
Ford similarly positioned the meeting as a push against Trump.
“Let’s not forget that President Trump has declared an economic war on every single business, every single person in this country, and we need to do everything we can to fight against him,” said Ford. “And I think the president is going to have a rude awakening. We’re going to unleash our strengths,” he added, referencing upcoming energy projects like oil pipelines and the Ring of Fire.
Premiers Scott Moe and Danielle Smith also expressed cautious optimism.
“I think we do have an opportunity here,” said Moe. “Today was a very positive meeting, and I hope that Canadians would feel very positive with their provincial, territorial and federal leaders coming out of here today in agreement.”
Smith said she was “encouraged by the immediate change of tone,” noting Carney’s new willingness to support oil development and recognize Canada’s energy potential.
Smith’s newfound cautious optimism comes the day after warning Carney of the risk of losing $14 trillion in wealth due to anti-oil laws. Going into the meeting, Smith reiterated her priorities for Carney, which included working with Alberta to build a pipeline to the B.C. coast, repealing the emissions cap, Bill C-69, the tanker ban, and the net-zero electricity regulations by 2035.
Although at the First Ministers’ meeting final press conference, Smith said that her province was aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 — a goal which is possible through technological advancement without artificially capping energy production.
“When we hear the Prime Minister talking about being an energy superpower, we haven’t heard that kind of language for some time,” she said. “And you simply wouldn’t have a policy of leaving a $9 trillion asset in the ground when it can stand to benefit everyone.”
While Ford celebrated Carney and the meeting, he was also critical of previous red tape and taxes that had stymied energy production in Canada.
“If we continue putting red tape and regulations and high taxes, guess what? No one is going to come and invest. But we’re all confident, and I’m confident with the leadership of the Prime Minister that he’s creating that environment and conditions for people to come here and companies to come here and invest and tell the world Canada is open for business,” said Ford.
“United we stand, divided we fall. And I can tell you, we’re a united group.”