The third and final day of meetings in Ontario’s cottage country is dawning, with bail reform expected to be the major talking point for Canada’s premiers.
Since Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has hosted provincial and territorial premiers in Muskoka for discussions dominated by trade talks, including a briefing from the prime minister.
Monday featured a meeting which ran for roughly three hours of talks with Indigenous leaders, before Ford hosted premiers and the prime minister at his family cottage for dinner.
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The second day was dominated by the threat of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney chaired a briefing with premiers on the odds that a deal with the States can be reached.
Thirty-five per cent tariffs are currently scheduled for Aug. 1.
While the premiers and prime minister appeared to broadly agree about the threat from the United States, the need to improve internal trade and concerns about Trump’s unpredictability, they emerged with few concrete solutions.
A news release issued directly after the meeting wrapped earlier than expected pointed to the need to work quickly on major projects and to coordinate federal tariff responses.
It did not include any specific retaliation that the council had agreed upon, nor did it identify nation-building projects they would all back.
Tuesday ended with an evening reception for the premiers, Ontario Progressive Conservative caucus members and other major stakeholders.
The final Wednesday morning meeting, which will touch on bail reform among other potential topics, will be followed by a news conference from the premiers.
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