- Trump ends all trade negotiations with Canada over deceptive Reagan ad.
- Tariff disputes escalate after U.S. steel, aluminum, and auto duties are imposed.
- Ontario ad misrepresents Reagan, prompting legal scrutiny from the presidential foundation.
US President Donald Trump stated that all negotiations with Canada had ended after he described a deceptive ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Earlier this year, Trump enacted tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, leading Ottawa to retaliate with similar measures.
The two parties have been negotiating for weeks regarding a possible agreement for the steel and aluminum industries.
“Based on their egregious behaviour, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated earlier this week that the advertisement from his province featuring anti-tariff messaging had garnered Trump’s interest. The advertisement featured Reagan, a Republican, and condemning tariffs on imported products while claiming they led to unemployment and trade conflicts.
On Thursday evening, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation released a statement asserting that the Ontario government’s advertisement was “using selective audio and video “of Reagan and that the foundation was evaluating its legal choices.
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“The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address (by Reagan in 1987), and the government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” the foundation said in its statement.
Trump has utilized tariffs as a means of pressure on various nations globally. Trump's trade conflict has raised US tariffs to their highest rates since the 1930s, and he frequently warns of additional duties, causing worries among economists and businesses.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney informed reporters on Thursday that Canada will not permit unequal U.S. access to its markets if negotiations on several trade agreements with Washington do not succeed. Next year, the US, Canada, and Mexico are scheduled to reassess their 2020 continental free-trade agreement.