Prime Minister Mark Carney and at least two premiers won’t rule out targeting energy and critical minerals as Canada weighs going beyond the dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs already announced in response to 50 per cent U.S. duties on roughly $28 billion of Canadian goods.

The premier also shed more light on why he opposed the potential agreement being negotiated with Washington, saying his central concern was the failure to secure relief for steel and automobiles.

Asked whether the sticking point was the 25 per cent tariffs affecting those sectors, Ford agreed, saying the U.S. “weren’t budging on that.”

In a four-page letter to Carney dated Aug. 17 and released by the Premier’s Office, Ford said Ontario continues to support negotiations aimed at securing relief from U.S. Section 232 tariffs on Canadian autos and auto parts, steel, aluminum and forestry products.