US President Donald Trump has announced a 10% increase in tariffs on Canadian goods, citing the province of Ontario's anti-tariff advertisement featuring former US President Ronald Reagan as "a fraud" that misrepresented facts and engaged in a hostile act.
The advert, sponsored by the Ontario government, quotes Reagan saying tariffs "hurt every American". The video takes excerpts from a 1987 national radio address focused on foreign trade. In response to Trump's accusations, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that his country will restart trade talks with the US when Americans are ready.
The move marks the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries over tariffs. The US has already imposed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods, with most exempt under an existing free trade agreement. Additional levies have been slapped on specific sectors, including metals and automobiles.
Trump's decision to increase tariffs on Canadian goods comes as he travels to Asia for a series of diplomatic meetings. In a post on social media on Saturday, Trump accused Canadian officials of not removing the advert ahead of time and claimed that it was designed to "interfere" with an upcoming US Supreme Court case.
The case will determine whether the tariffs are constitutional, and Trump has claimed that Canada is attempting to manipulate the outcome. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has responded by saying that it hopes for a resolution through diplomatic channels and further negotiation.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford had previously pledged to run the Reagan advert in every Republican-led district in the US before pulling it down amid growing tensions with Trump's administration.
The advert, sponsored by the Ontario government, quotes Reagan saying tariffs "hurt every American". The video takes excerpts from a 1987 national radio address focused on foreign trade. In response to Trump's accusations, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that his country will restart trade talks with the US when Americans are ready.
The move marks the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries over tariffs. The US has already imposed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods, with most exempt under an existing free trade agreement. Additional levies have been slapped on specific sectors, including metals and automobiles.
Trump's decision to increase tariffs on Canadian goods comes as he travels to Asia for a series of diplomatic meetings. In a post on social media on Saturday, Trump accused Canadian officials of not removing the advert ahead of time and claimed that it was designed to "interfere" with an upcoming US Supreme Court case.
The case will determine whether the tariffs are constitutional, and Trump has claimed that Canada is attempting to manipulate the outcome. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has responded by saying that it hopes for a resolution through diplomatic channels and further negotiation.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford had previously pledged to run the Reagan advert in every Republican-led district in the US before pulling it down amid growing tensions with Trump's administration.
just think about it, canada loses 10% more on their exports already they're dealing with a 35% tariff 
and now this new 10% slap on top of that... 
it's like the US is trying to break canada's economy 
but let's look at the stats, canada exports $77 billion worth of goods to the us in 2022 
Canada is like "screw you" to Trump and he's getting all salty about some old video 
Meanwhile, I'm over here thinking that this whole thing just sounds super petty... like, can't we all just get along? 
And what's up with Trump claiming that the advert was designed to interfere with a court case? Like, didn't he do something similar when he announced his run for president? 
. Canada's PM is trying to calm things down by saying they'll restart trade talks, but I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon... The US is just not ready to back down from this one 
. anyway, this is gonna lead to more trade disputes and who knows how many dollars will get lost in the process 
and then he gets all salty when the ontario gov puts up a little advert with reagan saying stuff that kinda matches his views 
but like, isn't that just kinda normal for politicians? shouldn't we just get used to them trying to one-up each other on tv ads instead of getting all mad about it 
. Like, can't we just talk about our differences and find common ground? The tariffs are already pretty high, so now Trump is gonna throw more at Canada? It's not like they're not willing to negotiate... 
I mean, come on, guys, can't we move forward instead of dwelling on past stuff? The advert wasn't meant to be a personal attack, just a statement about how tariffs affect Canadians. And Trump's claiming Canada is interfering with a court case? That's some serious paranoia right there 
.
The world's already crazy enough without us making it worse by being all defensive and aggressive. Let's focus on finding solutions, not escalating the situation 
I bet if this were a Democratic president, Canada would be getting a free pass to negotiate their way out of this one. But nope, it's all about Trump's ego and his need for attention... and control! 