Facing escalating tariff tensions with the United States, Ontario’s Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli is intensifying efforts to diversify the province’s trade ties.
Currently on a mission through Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore, Fedeli — dubbed Ontario’s “No. 1 salesperson” by Premier Doug Ford — will have visited 15 countries by October 2, with plans to reach eight more before year’s end. His focus this trip is on life sciences and tech, two industries Ontario hopes to grow as it reduces reliance on American markets.
“The boss says to me, ‘Buddy, what are you doing here? You don’t make any sales when you’re sitting beside me,’” Fedeli joked in a recent interview. “So we have his full support to continue hitting the ball out of the park like we did last year.”
In 2024, Fedeli’s 15 trade missions helped attract 409 international companies that invested $40 billion and created nearly 25,000 jobs, he said. But the urgency has grown as Ontario grapples with American tariffs and what Fedeli calls an “unreliable partner.”
Opposition critics agree diversification is essential but question the government’s claims of success. “There is obviously a disconnect between the minister’s numbers and the lived reality of Ontarians, who can’t even find entry-level positions right now,” said NDP critic Catherine Fife, pointing to Statistics Canada figures showing Ontario has lost 66,000 jobs since February, leaving 700,000 people unemployed.
Trade missions earlier this year took Fedeli through Eastern Europe, Germany, and the U.K., where he pitched Ontario’s defence sector — a move that could bolster the province’s steel industry, also battered by U.S. tariffs. Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne carried a similar message in Denmark last week, highlighting opportunities in Europe’s ramped-up defence spending.
Germany remains central to Ontario’s strategy, not only for defence but also for electric vehicles. Volkswagen is building a massive EV battery cell plant in St. Thomas, expected to begin production in 2027. Fedeli says the supply chain expansion around that plant will mirror what has happened in Windsor, where Stellantis and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution are building another battery facility.
“When we landed NextStar, they quickly surrounded themselves with half a dozen or more South Korean companies,” Fedeli said. “We expect the same with Volkswagen — and that’s why we’re in Germany so much.”
By year’s end, Fedeli will have taken Ontario’s message to India, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Austria, Sweden, and Germany again, underscoring the province’s race to secure new markets as tariff battles with its largest trading partner intensify.