Ontario will terminate its contract with Starlink due to U.S. imposition of duties against Canada

The Canadian province of Ontario will cancel the contract with Starlink because of the introduction of US President Donald Trump's trade duties against Canada. The announcement was made by the region's Premier Doug Ford on February 3.

"We will terminate the province's contract with Starlink (Satellite Communications System from SpaceX - Ed.). Ontario will not do business with people obsessed with destroying our economy," he wrote in the social network X (former Twitter).

Ford clarified that the ban on contracting is effective today and will remain in effect until the duties are lifted.

According to the provincial premier, the Ontario government and its agencies are spending $30 billion dollars to purchase Starlink satellite communications terminals. Thus, he said, U.S. companies will lose tens of billions of dollars. Ford called for blaming only Trump for the problem.

"Canada did not start this fight with the United States, but you have to believe that we are ready to win it," the prime minister concluded.

Dragon's answer: China prepared for a new trade war with the US

Beijing intends to fight back hard against Donald Trump's administration

Earlier in the day, Trump had a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, during which they discussed the situation with the imposition of duties on goods from Canada and Mexico. He intends to talk to him again today at 15:00 local time (23:00 Moscow time).

On the same day, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said that the tariffs imposed by Trump on Mexico, Canada and China are aimed at fighting fentanyl, not at launching a trade war. He said Canada misunderstood the wording in Trump's executive order, interpreting it as the start of a trade war.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1 imposing trade tariffs of 25 percent on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. Then he also promised to impose duties on goods from the EU. With this decision, Trump seeks to reduce the flow of the opioid fentanyl across the border, as well as the flow of migrants.

Chinese economist Andrew Leung, in turn, told Izvestia that the tariffs imposed by Trump on imports of goods from China and Mexico will lead to an increase in consumer prices in the United States itself.