US President Donald Trump has announced an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian imports, escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. The move comes after Trump accused Ontario’s provincial government of airing a “fraudulent” advertisement featuring former U.S. president Ronald Reagan.
The advertisement, released by Ontario’s government, used edited clips from Reagan’s 1987 radio address to criticise Trump’s tariff policies. The Reagan Foundation condemned the ad, saying it “selectively edited” Reagan’s speech without permission and “misrepresented” his original message.
Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to justify the tariff hike, calling the ad “a serious misrepresentation of the facts and a hostile act.” He wrote, “Because of their serious misrepresentation and fraud, I am increasing the tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now.”
Earlier this year, Trump had already imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian exports and 10% on energy products, prompting Canada’s retaliatory counter-tariffs on USD 30 billion worth of U.S. goods, including steel, aluminium, wine, and apparel.
The controversial Ontario ad quoted Reagan as saying, “When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing… but only for a short time. Over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer.” Trump accused Ottawa of manipulating Reagan’s words to undermine U.S. trade policy.
Despite the growing tension, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday that Canada remains open to resuming trade talks with the U.S. Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that the province would pause the ad campaign on Monday, saying it had “achieved its goal” of sparking a conversation on the economic impact of tariffs.
Trump, however, criticized Ontario for delaying the pause until after the first two games of the World Series, calling it “dirty play.” The ad aired Friday night during Game 1, which saw the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4.
The latest tariff increase marks a sharp turn in U.S.-Canada relations, with Trump warning that he is willing to take “further action” if Ottawa continues what he called “misleading propaganda.”
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Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
