Ontario Premier Ford Responds After Trump Pulls Out of Canada Trade Discussion
The high-stakes world of international trade has been jolted by a dramatic diplomatic fallout, as Canadian Trade Talk Cancelled after U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly ended all negotiations with Canada last week.
The sudden cessation of discussions, which had been focused on easing tariffs on key sectors like steel, aluminium, and energy, was directly attributed to an anti-tariff television advertisement sponsored by the government of Ontario, sparking an immediate and fiery response from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
President Trump took to his social media platform late last week to announce the termination of “all trade negotiations” with Canada, specifically citing the “fake” and “fraudulent” ad campaign that featured excerpts from a 1987 speech by former U.S.
President Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs. The $75 million CDN campaign, a clear salvo against the U.S. administration’s protectionist policies, enraged President Trump, who claimed the ad misrepresented Reagan’s views and was a hostile act intended to interfere with U.S. judicial proceedings.
Following the initial cancellation, President Trump further intensified the pressure, announcing an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods after the ad continued to run over the weekend, including during the World Series.
Headline Points
• Trade Talks Terminated: U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly halted all trade negotiations with Canada, citing the Ontario government’s anti-tariff advertisement as the direct cause.
• Controversial Ad: The ad campaign, sponsored by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government, used clips of former President Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs and protectionism.
• Ford Defends Campaign: Ontario Premier Doug Ford initially defended the campaign as “very effective,” stating it achieved its goal of generating a conversation in the U.S. on the impact of tariffs.
• Ad Campaign Paused: Following consultation with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Ford announced the costly ad campaign would be “paused” as of Monday in a bid to create space for trade discussions to resume.
• New Tariffs Imposed: In retaliation for the ad continuing to air over the weekend, President Trump announced an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian exports to the United States.
In the wake of the diplomatic storm, Ontario Premier Ford Responds with a blend of defiance and pragmatism. Facing criticism for derailing federal trade efforts, Premier Ford stood by the provincial government’s $75 million anti-tariff ad, declaring the campaign a resounding success.
“We generated a conversation that wasn’t happening in the U.S. — now every single local media, every large media, medium-sized media in the U.S. is talking about it,” Ford proclaimed on Monday in Toronto.
“You know why President Trump is so upset right now? Because it was effective. It was working, it woke up the whole country.”
However, the Premier also signalled an attempt to de-escalate the situation. After conversations with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ford announced that the ad would be “paused” effective Monday, expressing a hope that the move would allow bilateral trade discussions to resume.
“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 in a statement. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.
” Despite the pause, Ford had directed his team to keep the commercial running throughout the weekend, ensuring its visibility during the high-profile World Series games—a decision that seemingly led to the President’s subsequent announcement of the additional 10% tariff.
The fallout has been significant. Prime Minister Carney confirmed that the negotiations, particularly in the steel, aluminium, and energy sectors, had been “making progress” until President Trump’s abrupt decision.
The U.S. President has been resolute, stating he would not meet with the Canadian Prime Minister “for a while.”
While Premier Ford maintains that his provincial campaign, designed to protect Ontario jobs and key industries like the auto sector, achieved its objective, the move has clearly complicated the broader federal trade strategy.
The Canadian government is now forced to navigate renewed trade hostility, compounded by the new 10% tariff, with an uncertain timeline for the resumption of detailed sector-specific talks, leaving Canadian businesses to grapple with another wave of trade uncertainty.
The diplomatic repercussions of the bold advertising gambit highlight the fragile nature of Canada-U.S. trade relations under the current U.S. administration.
