Ford pitches Trump on grand energy plan in effort to avoid tariffs

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pitching U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on a vision to supply the two nations with energy, as he positions himself as the country's protector amid a "lack of leadership" in Ottawa in the face of American tariff threats.

Ford wants to see the province's grid expanded to allow more energy to be sent to the U.S.

The premier is trumpeting Ontario's nuclear energy expertise to build more large and small modular nuclear reactors in partnership with the U.S.

"It won't be easy and it won't happen overnight, but we owe it to workers in Ontario, across Canada and the U.S. to act now," Ford said.

"Many of these initiatives will require the federal government to step up to ensure that energy, trade, and security policies serve the best interests of Canadians and Americans alike."

Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods on his first day in office on Jan. 20 unless Canada tightens border security, with an emphasis on fentanyl trafficking and illegal crossings.

Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. does not need anything from Canada and spoke about using "economic force" to annex the country to become the 51st state.