Dr. Doug Ford takes pro-trade message to Michigan university

A Canadian premier delivering a commencement speech at an American university isn’t exactly standard, but Doug Ford leaned into the moment, even acknowledging the obvious question: why him? The Ontario premier received an honorary doctorate from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan on Saturday, where he delivered a commencement address to graduating students, pitching his vision to heal frayed ties between Canada and the United States.Wearing a black cap and gown, Ford used the speech to reflect on his time living and working in the United States, telling graduates he spent nearly two decades building his family’s printing business south of the border.“Our success, our prosperity, is not an accident,” he said. “It’s the result of more than 200 years of work on both sides of the border.”But Ford also used the moment to warn that those ties are being tested. Story continues below advertisement “Over the last year and a half, that partnership between the U.S. and Canada has been tested by tariffs and trade wars,” he said, adding the relationship has been “strained” and “shaken and undermined.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford delivers a commencement address at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan after receiving an honorary doctorate. @SaginawValleyState