Kinew joins new bestie Ford as Team Canada captains

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/01/2025 (233 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a tariff war about to take centre stage once U.S. president-elect Donald Trump takes office, it’s pretty clear who Team Canada’s captain is heading into battle — Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Sitting beside outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a news conference last week following a first ministers meeting, Ford was lauded for his patriotism, nationalism and calls for unity.

“He’s a Canadian first, as much as he’s passionate about Ontario,” Trudeau said.

“Thank you to Premier Ford and to the Prime Minister for coming together here today,” Moe said.

“I have always said I don’t care about political stripes,” Ford said, soliciting nods and smiles. “I don’t care if you’re from the orange party the blue party or the red party. We’re going to be united.”

Ford at one point even threatened Trump, who has promised to levy a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, saying he would “fight” anyone who threatened Canadian jobs.

This perhaps even included Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who attended the meeting virtually and rejected the Team Canada approach.

“That’s her choice,” Ford said. “I have a little different theory: protect your jurisdiction but country comes first, Canada’s the priority… We need to be united. United we stand, divided we fall.”

Ford’s call for a united national front against Trump’s tariffs makes sense.

Not only is he currently serving as the chair of the Council of the Federation but the Ontario auto industry has the most to lose if they are implemented. Ontario could also lose half a million jobs if Trump makes good on his threat.

Ford’s political brand is also as a patriotic nationalist, so the leader of Canada’s largest province stepping into a role created by the vacuum of a sitting lame duck prime minister is, if anything, logical.

The colleague who became Ford’s biggest cheerleader at the news conference may have been most interesting: Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.

“Doug Ford, you’re doing a heckuva job as the chair of the premiers this year,” Kinew said. “You’re communicating in straightforward, direct, straight up kind of way that we need right now.”

The two had a sort of Batman-and-Robin moment where Kinew not only praised Ford’s leadership but virtually repeated him word for word.

“I’d hope that Canadians look at the meeting today and feel a lot of pride,” Kinew said. “I hope that there’s Canadian pride in the fact that you can have Liberals and Conservatives and New Democrats and non-partisan leaders coming together to stand up for your jobs and for your way of life.”

He also echoed the Ontario premier’s call for Canadians to “buy that made-in-Canada product” and “make investments” in Canadian markets instead of the U.S.

“I’d hope that your Canadian pride also filters into your decisions about where to take your vacations this summer and to, you know, spend some more dollars here at home.” Kinew added, then joked: “Manitoba is beautiful in the summertime and you have an open invitation.”

Kinew then seemed to make his own pitch for Team Canada captain.

“The point is Canadian pride is something that we can really lean on right now and there are few things that unite Canadians more for better and for worse than our neighbour to the south. I think it’s a great moment for Canadians.”

Ford is no stranger to political alliances with other politicians. He’s had long-standing “bromances” with Trudeau and has shared alliances with Moe, Smith and even former Manitoba premier Brian Pallister.

His connection with Kinew — from a radically different side of the political spectrum he often complains about — is interesting.

On one level, it lays bare the complex political times accompanying Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

On another, it’s evidence of Kinew’s bridge-building political character.

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He has found a unique balance of situating himself as both a proud First Nations leader and a proud Canadian at the same time — a trick that requires reconciling complex issues and histories.

It also makes sense that Kinew would join Ford at the helm of leading Team Canada because of the impacts on Manitoba’s food, energy, and agricultural industries. As head of this province, that is his job and his role.

But Kinew may have shown Canada something more in the Council of the Federation.

His first audition for ­— dare it be said — prime minister.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca

Niigaan Sinclair
Columnist

Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press.

   Read full biography