Trade tensions between the United States and Canada have flared up again as President Donald Trump announced an additional 10 percent tariff on Canadian goods following a controversial anti-tariff advertisement from Ontario that used the late Ronald Reagan’s voice and words.
According to AFP, Trump revealed the tariff hike on Saturday through his Truth Social platform while heading to Asia for diplomatic meetings. He accused Canada of allowing what he described as a “fraudulent” and “hostile” advertisement to air during the World Series.
“Their advertisement was supposed to be taken down immediately, but they let it run last night knowing it was a fraud,” Trump wrote. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, I am increasing the tariff on Canada by 10 percent.”
The ad, sponsored by the Ontario provincial government, featured edited clips from Reagan’s 1987 radio address warning about the dangers of high tariffs. The Ronald Reagan Foundation has since condemned the ad, accusing its creators of using “selective audio and video” and considering legal action.
Ontario has pledged to withdraw the ad by Monday in a bid to restart trade talks. However, relations between the two North American partners remain strained. Trump’s tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles have already caused job losses and economic strain in Canada.
While both countries remain tied under the USMCA trade deal which keeps most goods tariff-free Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned last week that US tariffs have reached levels “last seen during the Great Depression,” calling for a major shift in Canada’s economic strategy.
Trump and Carney are both expected to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, though Trump has stated he has no plans to meet his Canadian counterpart.
In an ironic twist, the diplomatic spat comes as the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada’s Major League Baseball team, face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series a series that began with an 11-4 victory for the Blue Jays.
AFP
It is really going to be tough for Canada and the prime minister