MUSKOKA SUMMER SUMMIT SEES ‘NATION BUILDERS’ IN HUNTSVILLE ‘TO BUILD MOST COMPETITIVE ECONOMY IN G7’
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
HUNTSVILLE — A summer summit to unite provinces, territories and First Nations will be a working holiday as premiers “work to build the most competitive economy in the G7.”
That’s Doug Ford on a July 21-23 pow-wow with the Council of the Federation (COF) he is chairing this year to tackle brutal American tariffs.
It’s an annual summer conference held in the jurisdiction of the current chair. This year not far from Ford’s Port Sydney cottage.
It’s 15 years after world leaders also gathered in Huntsville in 2010 with similarly lofty goals of creating wealth, prosperity and security when Barack Obama was in Muskoka as the leader of the free world.
“With President Trump taking direct aim at our economy, we need to build and we need to build fast,” Premier Ford said in a statement today announcing the meetings.
“Together, premiers are seizing the momentum coming out of the recent First Ministers’ Meeting in Saskatoon to move the projects that will unleash the full potential of Canada’s economy forward.
“There’s never been a more important time for all of us from coast to coast to coast to work together to build the most competitive economy in the G7.”
In the year before and now the month after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s election, incredible national collaboration has led to momentous movement on the national trade front after decades of inter-border bureaucracy, red-tape and turf protections.
Ford calls it an “opportunity to discuss how premiers will move nation-building projects forward, how to continue to navigate Canada-U.S. relations and making Canadian communities safer.”
While in Muskoka, premiers will also meet with leaders of national Indigenous organizations to focus discussions on economic development, economic reconciliation and other key priorities for Indigenous peoples and communities.
Ford says during his time as COF chair he’s “led a united Team Canada approach to push back against tariffs and help the country engage with the U.S., including by leading a mission of all 13 premiers to Washington, D.C. He has also supported Ontario’s priorities at the Council of the Federation table, including unlocking critical minerals in the Ring of Fire, building the first small modular nuclear reactors in the G7 and new large-scale nuclear facilities and fixing Canada’s broken bail system to keep violent criminals off the streets.”
About the COF
Founded in 2003, it comprises all 13 provincial and territorial premiers, enabling premiers to work collaboratively, form closer ties, foster constructive relationships among the provinces and territories and show leadership on important issues that matter to Canadians.
Members generally meet in person at least twice per year, with an annual summer conference held in the jurisdiction of the current chair. Members also meet virtually throughout the year. The position of COF chair rotates annually between premiers.
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