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Negotiate through strength: Doug Ford supports retaliation, says Canada targets zero tariffs
Apr 4, 2025
We just finished our call with the Prime Minister had the discussions regarding President Trump's comments yesterday. You know, we all agreed that we got the best of a bad deal, which in my opinion is still totally unacceptable. The only thing that's acceptable is zero tariffs. We're going to continue targeting zero tariffs. I do believe and I would support retaliation tariffs, very similar to what they have against us in the auto sector, but that is strictly up to the Prime Minister. ... So I'm a strong supporter of showing the US that we negotiate through strength, not weakness. And it'll be up to the Prime Minister to tell the country how we're going to retaliate.
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well good morning everyone we just uh
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finished our fmm call with the with the
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Prime Minister had the discussions
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regarding president Trump's uh uh
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comments yesterday you know we we all
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agreed that uh we got the best of a of a
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bad deal which in my opinion is still
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totally unacceptable the only thing
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that's acceptable is zero tariffs uh
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we're going to continue targeting zero
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tariffs uh I do believe and I would
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support
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uh retaliation uh tariffs very similar
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to what they have uh against us in the
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auto sector but that is strictly up to
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the Prime Minister prime minister
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understand will be coming out at
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11:30 uh but I can tell you he reassured
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us that he'll be there for the auto
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companies to support them uh we'll be
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there as well I put a a call in to uh
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Mark Stewart unior representative just a
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minute ago I called him again last night
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uh just to reassure him that we're going
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to be there and and support him uh I
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believe and uh this this is really
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because of our relationship that we
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built that we were going down there we
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were communicating uh constantly and you
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know there was a big relief we didn't
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see our name on on the list but that
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doesn't mean these tariffs are are
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disappearing so I'm a strong supporter
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of uh showing the US that uh we
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negotiate through strength not weakness
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and uh it'll be up to the Prime Minister
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uh to tell the the country how we're
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going to retaliate Premier what are what
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is your government going to do for the
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Auto Workers who are already being laid
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off uh and we don't know for how long
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stantis uh issued a notice last night we
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were hearing that on the in the United
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States santis factories are also going
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to be shutting down well we're working
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with the federal government uh they'll
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be making announcements and we'll be
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there to uh support the auto workers
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every which way we we can through
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retraining through some well I I I hope
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it doesn't come to retraining because
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hopefully this plant's going to reopen
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uh it's a temporary shutdown I've
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mentioned my concerns to the CEO of
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santis and uh how we need to have this
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plant up and going which it should be up
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and going we have a better understanding
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uh right now exactly what is being
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applied to the auto sector and what
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could be
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exempt well what what I understand Colin
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and uh as you saw yesterday it's about
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as clear as mud but this is what I'm I'm
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understanding that uh eventually it's
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going to be half of LSA Vehicles 50%
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American parts then half of those
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Canadian parts are going to be tariffed
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which equals 12 1 12% but 12 1 12% still
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is unacceptable we have to get down to
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uh 0% Premier the the stantis is laying
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off 900 people in Michigan and Indiana
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uh already because of the Windsor shut
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down and Mexican plant shutd Downs is
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that faster than you expected and what
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what kind of message do you think that
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is going to send to the Trump
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Administration well thank thank you for
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that question I've been saying all along
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I thought it would last about a a week
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but obviously it's uh right down to days
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now on the on the supply chain and I've
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been saying this over and over again a
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tariff on Canada is attacks on Americans
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I mentioned termination day uh there's a
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perfect example that's just one company
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one sector not to mention all the other
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uh sectors if they you wanting to go
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after our lumber our lumber is used for
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housing in the US it's a high-grade
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lumber and that's just going to drive
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the cost up of housing if they go after
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uh continue to go after the auto sector
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it's going to drive the cost up of autos
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for Americans and if they go after our
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Pharmaceuticals especially seniors that
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rely on more cost uh effective uh
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Pharmaceuticals that's going to drive
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the cost up I'm uh very happy to see
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some of the Senators Republican Senators
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supporting us uh you know ran Paul uh
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very vocal he said a tariff on Canada
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would drive the us into a recession uh I
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agree with those comments I'm I'm glad
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that we're bringing the temperature down
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it was absolutely essential uh that
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everyone just cools out a little bit and
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thinks straight uh because as as the
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president mentioned yesterday uh you saw
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the list of all the the countries he has
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bigger issues than targeting his closest
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friends and and our lies but we're going
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to continue communicating uh with our
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counterparts and the US Congress the
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Senate and uh as well as the governors
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and yeah I'm sorry go ahead sorry no go
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ahead what's on the table right now for
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Ontario potentiality issues well I you
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know something I'm I'm going to let the
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the Prime Minister uh respond to that at
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11:30 uh on Ontario's side we're we're
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still going to keep the alcohol uh off
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off the shelves and and uh that that's
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one of the impacts but as you are you
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calling for a stronger response than
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what we're going to see from from Mr
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Carney at 11:30 you said you you
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supported a strong response but you're
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not telling us what he's going to do
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yeah just to be fair to the Prime
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Minister um I I think it's a fair
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response uh I appreciate all the support
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uh across the country and it's every
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Premier um there's no exclus
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I'm glad to see the support of Premier
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out in the west as well because I think
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it's a measured response and that's what
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we need to do Premier are you going to
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be continuing your own discussions with
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Howard letnik and his team or are you
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sort of taking a step back and deferring
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to the Prime Minister on this well we're
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we're all working together uh we're
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working with uh you know secretary
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lutnick uh we had great conversations
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with him I spoke to the Prime Minister
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late last night along with Dominic
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LeBlanc as well it's really really a
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team candada effort right now we're all
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we're all working together uh the Prime
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Minister actually encouraged uh all the
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premieres to continue uh the
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consultation collaboration with their
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counterparts in the US and I think
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that's so critical that uh we continue
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to do that and premum seems like you've
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been uh you know you've been working
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closely with Mark Carney and you
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mentioned that your uh mpps would be too
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swamped to doain this election campaign
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at least yesterday that did not seem to
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the case with Caroline Ro I'm just
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wondering if she sought your permission
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uh to endorse J if you gave it and also
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what you make of your campaign managers
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uh raising comments towards the CPC yeah
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so uh twofold I I said uh it's really up
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to the the mpps what they want to do
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Caroline called me uh I think the world
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of Caroline by the way she does an
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incredible job as president of the
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treasury and uh and asked me and I
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that's that's up to Caroline and uh good
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for her and everyone else but uh we need
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to focus on our job our number one job
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is to make sure we continue to protect
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the people of Ontario focus on the
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tariffs I do want to make a comment
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about uh the
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outages uh right across the north it's
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it's heartbreaking you get these
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messages I'm getting and like every 15
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seconds messages uh we we have now 3,700
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boots on the ground uh from all over I
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want to thank uh which I did thank fris
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the go premier of Quebec for sending
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Quebec Hydro as as well as Scott Mo over
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in saskatch onean and uh all everyone
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from Windsor uh Hydro to all the way up
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all the GTA and and Toronto uh We've
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reconnected over
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800,000 uh homes and we still have right
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right around uh about
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190,000 uh more to go we're working full
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out again we we have the teams out there
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from Emergency Management uh they on
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teral core warming centers uh Foods
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brought in I got to give a shout out uh
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to a couple Rubicon and Global Medics
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they're out there supporting be it food
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or cutting down trees and I just want to
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thank the the people uh I mentioned
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yesterday uh when someone's internet is
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down and and televisions are down uh we
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have to come up with a new mechanism to
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communicate because it's very difficult
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to communicate when people don't have
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the uh the ability to watch the
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television so I think we have to uh come
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up with a something with the cell phones
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because that's their number one concern
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out there is
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communication uh I know the CEO is going
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to be up there today in Aro madon I'll
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be heading up uh tomorrow uh to see how
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I can uh support anyone up there this is
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the last question on the auto TS the
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American president has made it very
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clear that he wants to relocate
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manufacturing Comm
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I know it's 12% not 25 but where do you
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see the threat level right now when it
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comes to those cars in the auto
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manufacturing sector is the threat still
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fairly high in your I think the threat's
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very high even at uh 12 a half% these
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auto companies aren't making uh money
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Handover fists they're they're basically
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trying to get by day by day and and keep
9:21
their people employed so our goal is to
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continue negotiating uh down to a 0% I
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truly believe the president's waiting
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for this election to be over on April
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28th I can't wait for it to be over Tell
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The President I'll call him back I know
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but um anyways we're going to continue
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uh we're going to continue working uh
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hand inand with the administration with
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the the federal government as well
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thanks everyone thanks everyone thanks
9:47
thank you thank you
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