US President Donald Trump has announced an increase in tariffs on Canadian goods, following a dispute over an advertisement aired by the province of Ontario that quoted former US President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
In a post on social media, Trump said the advert misrepresented the facts and accused Canadian officials of allowing it to run during the opening of the World Series. He described the move as a hostile act.
“Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, I am increasing the tariff on Canada by 10 percent over and above what they are paying now,” Trump wrote.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose government sponsored the advert, said the campaign would be paused to allow trade discussions to resume. He said the decision was made after talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney. However, he noted that the advert would continue to run over the weekend, including during World Series broadcasts.
The US has already imposed a 35 percent levy on Canadian imports, though most goods are exempt under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Additional tariffs of 50 percent on metals and 25 percent on automobiles have also been in effect.
Canada’s trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government remained committed to reaching an agreement that benefits workers on both sides of the border and continued to pursue direct engagement with US officials.
The advert in question featured audio from a 1987 address by Ronald Reagan warning that tariffs could trigger trade wars and harm consumers. The Ronald Reagan Foundation criticized the ad, saying the clip was used selectively and without permission.
Ford had previously suggested the advert would run in Republican-led districts across the United States. Trump, meanwhile, said the ad should have been withdrawn sooner and suggested Canada was attempting to influence an upcoming US Supreme Court case that will determine whether the tariffs he imposed are constitutional.
Business groups on both sides of the border have urged restraint. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said it hoped the tariff escalation could be resolved through negotiations, noting that tariffs increase costs for consumers and businesses in both countries.
The dispute has also played out symbolically during the World Series, where the Toronto Blue Jays are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ford and California Governor Gavin Newsom exchanged lighthearted messages online that touched on tariffs while making friendly bets over the outcome of the games.
