Ontario Pauses Anti-Tariff Ads After Trump Ends Canada Trade Talks

Canada’s trade tensions with the U.S. hit a boiling point this week after Ontario Premier Doug Ford agreed to halt an ad campaign that had Donald Trump fuming.

The campaign, which cost Ontario taxpayers $75 million CAD, featured former President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 anti-tariff speech and aired during prime U.S. TV slots. Trump didn’t like it one bit, calling it “FAKE” and ending all trade talks with Canada in response.

“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” said Ford, who spoke with Prime Minister Mark Carney before pausing the ads starting Monday. However, Ford made it clear the ads would keep airing through the weekend during the World Series.

Carney, working to expand trade beyond the U.S., said Canada must stay focused despite unpredictable American policies.

“We have to focus on what we can control and realize what we can’t control,” he added.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the ad “misleadingly edited President Reagan’s 1987 radio address” and signaled Canada wasn’t serious about negotiations.

Ford disagreed, defending the message as authentic: “It’s real, because it was coming from the best president the country’s ever seen, Ronald Reagan.”

Still, experts warn the ad may have backfired as trade talks stall and sectors like auto, steel, and lumber feel the pinch.