LILLEY: Doug Ford leaves Washington meeting 'feeling very positive'

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Doug Ford called his meeting in Washington on Thursday one of the most positive he’s ever had.

“I can honestly say, was the best meeting I’ve ever had coming down here,” Ontario’s Premier said leaving the Commerce Department in Washington.

Not to question the Premier’s view of his meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, but the Americans might agree with him behind closed doors and then blow up while making TV appearances. That’s what happened earlier in the week after Lutnick called Ford, concerned about Ontario’s plans to impose a 25% surcharge on exports of electricity to New York, Michigan and Minnesota.

Ford didn’t call Lutnick asking for a meeting, Lutnick called Ford and asked him to come to Washington. Yet, when Lutnick went on American TV he talked about having to break “some guy from Ontario” and Trump spoke dismissively about Ford despite calling him a strong man the day before.

The only certainty with Trump and his team is uncertainty – and that includes how they will treat you before, during and after the meeting.

Ford made sure to thank Lutnick for the meeting several times, expressing gratitude, which the Trump administration has made clear is something they want to hear.

Federal officials were part of the meeting, but they were there at the invitation of Ford who had been asked to come to Washington for the meeting. Federal Finance Minister Domic LeBlanc said he speaks with Secretary Lutnick several times a week, but clearly, this meeting on Thursday was about Lutnick getting to know Doug Ford.

“I just want to thank you know the Secretary, for the opportunity to go in there and stay this long and communicate. We shared a tremendous amount of views back and forth, and I’m feeling very positive,” Ford said, adding that there will be another meeting next week.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick was quiet after the meeting, an unusual pose for him, but President Donald Trump had said plenty before the meeting. Trump spoke about Canada several times, saying we had nothing he wanted while clearly saying that he wants Canada to become the 51st state because he clearly wants what Canada has on offer.

“We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy, we have more than they do. We don’t need anything. We don’t need their cars, I’d much rather make the cars here. And there’s not a thing that we need. Now, there will be a little disruption but it won’t be very long. But they need us, we really don’t need them, and we have to do this, I’m sorry, we have to do this,” Trump said ahead of the meeting.

The meeting in Washington came about after Ontario’s government threatened to put a 25% surcharge on electricity sold to New York State, Michigan and Minnesota – a move provincial officials estimated would cost the average American home served by Ontario as much as $100 per month.

Ontario provides electricity to roughly 1.5 million homes across the three states.

After that surcharge was introduced, Lutnick – the cabinet member for the most powerful politician in the world – called Ford, the leader of a sub-national government asking him to change course. It was Lutnick who offered Ford the meeting, despite later going on American TV and acting as if he had never heard Ford’s name and calling him “some guy from Ontario” during an interview.

That’s nice posturing from Lutnick, but he’s the one who asked the leader of a province to come to Washington to have a meeting.

Still, Ford was humble leaving the meeting.

“I just appreciate the opportunity,” Ford said. “I’m grateful that we’re able to do this rather than going back and forth tit for tat.”

Lutnick had said Canada should say thank you ahead of the meeting. Some will see the fact that Ford did that as a sign of weakness, but unlike Zellenskyy, he wasn’t kicked out of Washington.

We have a long way to go in this battle, but Thursday should be taken as a win.

blilley@postmedia.com