U.S. President Donald Trump’s chaotic trade war will loom large over Doug Ford’s provincial budget, with experts saying billions in financial aid to impacted workers and businesses will throw a wrench in the premier’s plan to balance Ontario’s books next year.
Next month, Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are expected to unveil their first budget since winning a third-straight majority government in February. The spending plan could be announced in the days after Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is scheduled to deliver a key speech to a business audience in Toronto on May 12.
But the spending plan will drop at a time of uncertainty, as the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the auto and steel sectors continues to deepen. This week, Ford himself conceded that his government has to weight its priorities carefully in this moment, hinting that balancing the books may not happen.
“There’s a time to make sure that we …