Critical minerals are at the heart of Ontario’s plan to shore up the economy in the face of punitive tariffs from south of the border. That was the message Premier Doug Ford had on Monday speaking to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s annual convention at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Doug Ford won a third straight election to lead Ontario, as voters in Canada’s manufacturing heartland opted for a familiar face to steer an economy that’s under threat from US President Donald Trump’s trade policy.

His party, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, was projected to have won a majority, its third since 2018.