Dr. Doug Ford: Ontario premier receives honorary degree from U.S. university

In a commencement speech that touched on Canada’s ongoing trade dispute with the U.S., Ford acknowledged that the assembled graduates may be wondering why a Canadian politician was appearing before them. 

The premier told the Michigan students he spent years living and working in the U.S. helping build his family’s printing company and lauded “more than 200 years” of co-operation between Canada and the U.S. 

After speaking about his career in business and politics, which included mention of his time on Toronto city council with his brother Rob, and also saw the premier, once again, give out his phone number, Ford turned to the topic of trade.

He praised the close ties between Ontario and Michigan in the auto manufacturing industry but said that partnership has been tested by “tariffs and trade wars.”

The premier repeated a quote from former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, which featured in an anti-tariff ad Ontario ran in U.S. markets late last year that was blamed for halting Canada-U.S. trade talks.

“Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs,” Ford said, echoing Reagan, in a critique of protectionist policies.

“That’s what we risk with the U.S. and Canada if we don’t get back to working together,” the premier said. 

Ford ended with a message to the graduates to never forget the importance of teamwork, relationships and loyalty.

“These are the attributes that will make you succeed, just as they made our two great countries succeed,” he said.

The university’s president, George Grant Jr., called the premier a friend and thanked him for fostering strong relations in the Great Lakes region, on both sides of the border. 

Ford has positioned himself as a strong advocate against American tariffs and critic of U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Some journalists and pundits dubbed him “Captain Canada” as he took aim at the U.S. with retaliatory policies and made his case for Canada-U.S. co-operation in a series of interviews on American news networks. 

The premier famously pulled American liquor off LCBO shelves days after U.S. tariffs took effect and wore a “Canada Is Not For Sale” hat during a meeting in Ottawa amid Trump’s threats to annex Canada.

Ford’s anti-tariff policies also targeted Michigan, home of the university now honouring him with a degree, when he imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all electricity exports to the U.S. 

The tariff was suspended a day later, with Ontario collecting $260,000 from the tariff it said would impact 1.5 million homes and businesses in Michigan, Minnesota and New York.

Saginaw Valley State University is a public university in University Centre, Michigan founded in 1963.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2026.