With only days left in the provincial election campaign, Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford made a campaign stop at Algoma Steel on Sunday in Sault Ste. Marie in support of Chris Scott.
Ford used the event to make a policy announcement regarding northern Ontario mineral processing opportunities and discussed the ongoing tariff beef with the current American administration.
"Donald Trump's tariffs would devastate our economy. They put hundreds of thousands of jobs on the line, including here in Sault Ste Marie. Businesses will struggle, prices will rise, families will feel it. But we'll get through this together," Ford said.
One way to combat the threat of tariffs, he said, is to diversify trade, and Ford made one more pitch for another four-year mandate to accomplish it.
"We will stare down any threat. We will stand up to any attack and we'll do whatever it takes to protect Ontario," he added.
Asked by the media how he will help Algoma Steel to fight those tariffs, Ford was short on specifics.
"I don't know the exact details on these tariffs or if they're going to come in, I know he talks a lot, but we'll see what happens. But I'll give these people my word. I'll give the people of Sault Ste. Marie my word and Hamilton — anyone who makes steel — we will do whatever it takes to protect your job," Ford said.
"Mr. Ford, you called the election to fight the tariffs and you don't have a plan? When do you expect to have that plan in place?" asked a member of the media.
Ford responded that he has a strong plan for the tariffs.
"You don't have a plan without seeing what they're going to come at us with. We have a strong plan to reinvest into the people, into jobs. We've shown that, we've invested into Algoma with electric arc furnaces and we're going to continue to invest in the people," he said.
Algoma Steel president and CEO Michael Garcia was present for the press conference, but was not made available for questions.
The Ontario PC leader was in the Sault to support local candidate Chris Scott, a former staff member in the Premier's office who was personally selected by Ford to represent Sault Ste. Marie.
Asked to explain the reason why the local riding association was not allowed to select their own candidate and why he has not participated in local all-candidate meetings, Ford said Scott has been keeping busy.
"I'd rather have Chris knocking on doors, talking to the people directly, and Chris knows this riding unlike anyone in my opinion. He worked for Ross Romano for years. He knows every detail, he has talked to constituents, and he's just a great representative," Ford said.
Scott's team, led by former Sault MPP Ross Romano, has said the candidate did not receive an invitation to an OSSTF all-candidates meeting held Wednesday. Romano noted that Scott did decline a personal invitation to attend a Thursday all-candidates meeting held at the Legion to discuss issues facing senior citizens in the city.
"Like the Premier said, standing at everybody's doors and actually talking to real people is really important," Scott said.
The candidate was offered an opportunity to make an 'elevator pitch' to the people of Sault Ste. Marie about why he would make a great MPP, but instead only took shots at those organizing the all-candidate meetings.
"I was extremely disappointed with some of the gamesmanship that's going on with the OSSTF and other members, I think it's extremely disappointing that those sort of things are going on," he added.
"I look forward to next week when I think there's an opportunity for some all-candidates meetings that all candidates have actually been invited to."
Perhaps realizing Scott did not answer the question why he would make a great representative for Sault Ste. Marie, Ford doubled down on his endorsement of his former staff member.
"He's a worker, this guy. He's going to work his back off to represent the people of the Sault. He's going to have a strong voice down at Queen's Park," said Ford.
Asked about the primary care crisis in the Sault and emergency room closures in Thessalon, Ford said he plans to connect every Ontario resident with a family doctor or primary care provider within the next four years as part of an overall $1.8 billion investment in health care.
"We've hired over 15,000 new doctors, 100,000 new nurses, 30,000 nursing nursing students are in our colleges and universities that are going to be graduating. We're building new hospitals, we're building new medical universities," said Ford.
Ford said most people in the province are already connected to a doctor or primary care provider.
"Let me tell the folks, in the whole country we have more people connected to primary care than any other province in the country. Is it good enough? It's not good enough.
"We're at 90 per cent of people connected. That 10 percent — when you have 16 million people — that's a big number, but we're going to close that gap, we're going to invest in it."