Canada on Friday said that it will pause the anti-tariff advertisement campaign that prompted US President Donald Trump to abruptly end trade negotiations, as confirmed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.Ford said the decision comes after discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the campaign will be paused from Monday to allow talks to resume, news agency AP reported.
“Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford said.Despite the controversy, he added that the ad would continue to air over the weekend, including during the first World Series games featuring the Toronto Blue Jays.“I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games,” he said.Ford acknowledged that Trump had likely seen the ad and said, “I’m sure he wasn’t too happy.”The Ontario premier added that the aim was to “blast” the pro-trade message to Americans. “It’s real, because it was coming from the best president the country’s ever seen, Ronald Reagan. I feel the Reagan Republicans are going to be fighting with the MAGA group, and let’s hope Reagan Republicans win,” Ford said.
Background of the ad and trade tensions
The 60-second ad featured edited clips from Reagan’s April 25, 1987 national radio address, where he spoke passionately in favour of free and fair trade and warned against the dangers of tariffs.In the speech, Reagan said the US had “clear evidence that Japanese companies were engaging in unfair trade practices,” but stressed he was “loath” to impose tariffs, warning that they hurt workers and fuelled trade wars.
Trump criticises ad, halts trade talks
Trump on Friday indicated that he does not plan to meet with Mark Carney ahead of his trip to Asia. Speaking to reporter about the advertisement, Trump said: “What they did is really dishonest. And I heard they were pulling the ad. I didn’t know they were putting it on a little bit more. They could have pulled it tonight.” “Well, that’s dirty playing, but I can play dirtier than they can,” he added. Earlier, Trump had criticised the ad on social media, calling it “fake” and accusing Canada of misusing Reagan’s words to influence American policy. He also linked the ad to an upcoming US Supreme Court ruling on his global tariff regime and declared an immediate halt to trade talks.In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”“Based on their egregious behavior, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated,” his post added.
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The Ronald Reagan Foundation echoed Trump’s criticism, calling the ad a “misrepresentation” and said it is reviewing legal options.“The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek nor receive permission to use and edit the remarks. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is reviewing its legal option in this matter,” the Foundation wrote in a post on X.White House spokesman Kush Desai said talks with Canada had not produced constructive results.“Ontario’s taxpayer-funded ad campaign on American TV networks — that misleadingly edited President Reagan’s 1987 radio address about trade — is the latest example of how Canadian officials would rather play games than engage with the Administration,” Desai said in a statement.“As President Trump made clear on Truth Social, further talks are a futile effort if Canada can’t be serious.”The advertisement, which cost about $ 75 million Canadian (US$54 million), used clips from Reagan’s 1987 radio address opposing tariffs. It featured workers, families, and businesses, warning that high tariffs could trigger trade wars, shrink markets and cost jobs. The ad was aired on multiple major US networks.Ford shared quotes from Reagan on social media, highlighting Reagan’s opposition to tariffs. “Canada and the US are friends, neighbours and allies, and Reagan knew that both are stronger together,” Ford said.He defended the ad as factual and intended to reach US audiences at the highest levels. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached US audiences at the highest levels,” he added.
Canadian officials respond to tariffs
Canadian Prime Minister Carney said Canada aims to double exports to countries outside the US in response to Trump’s tariffs and remains ready to negotiate in sectors affected by trade barriers, including aluminum, steel, autos and lumber. “We can’t control the trade policy of the United States. We recognize that the policy has fundamentally changed from the 1980s. We have to focus on what we can control and realize what we can’t control,” he said.The ad has sparked debate across Canada. Former Conservative minister Jason Kenney defended it as an accurate replay of Reagan’s words, saying: “The Ontario ad does not misrepresent President Reagan’s anti-tariff radio address in any respect whatsoever. It is a direct replay of his radio address, formatted for a one-minute ad.” Kenney also criticised the Reagan Foundation’s response, calling its leadership “gormless” and “easily intimidated by a call from the White House.”Premiers Wab Kinew of Manitoba and David Eby of British Columbia expressed support for Ford. Kinew said, “It’s clear that these ads are working. If you throw a rock at a lake and you don’t hear a splash, you probably missed. To my good friend Doug Ford, keep the ads on TV. They’re effective, and this country is behind you.”Trade tensions between Canada and the US have intensified in recent months, with Trump’s tariffs affecting the auto and steel industries, while Canada has imposed retaliatory levies on certain US imports.
