Ontario to Pull Anti-Tariff Ad After Trump Halts US–Canada Trade Talks

By Staff, Agencies

Ontario’s government says it will withdraw a controversial ad that prompted President Trump to abruptly end “all trade negotiations” with Canada, after the US leader accused the province of using Ronald Reagan’s words to attack his tariff policy.

Trump announced the decision late Thursday on his social media platform, blasting the television ad — funded by Ontario’s government — as a “fraudulent” attempt to mislead Americans and influence the US Supreme Court ahead of a key hearing on presidential tariff powers. The post intensified tensions with America’s northern neighbor just as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signaled plans to double Canada’s exports to non–US markets in response to Trump’s escalating trade barriers.

By Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the ad campaign would be paused starting Monday. Ford, who had initially defended the ads, said the goal was to spark debate about the economic impact of tariffs — a goal he claimed had already been achieved.

“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. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached US audiences at the highest levels.”

The ad, which cost Ontario an estimated $54 million [about $75 million Canadian], used 1987 audio and video of former President Reagan criticizing tariffs. Trump accused the ad’s creators of misrepresenting Reagan’s views, writing:

“CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!! They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY.”

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute publicly condemned Ontario’s use of Reagan’s remarks, stating the ad “misrepresents” the late president’s 1987 address and was produced without authorization. The foundation said it was reviewing legal options.

Despite Ford’s announcement that the ad would be removed, it was still scheduled to air over the weekend, including during Game 1 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

White House officials described Trump’s move as a response to Canada’s “longstanding lack of flexibility” in trade talks. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the problem “was not just about one ad,” citing ongoing Canadian resistance to US tariff demands.

Prime Minister Carney downplayed the dispute, saying Canada remains open to resuming talks once tensions cool. “We can’t control the trade policy of the United States,” he said before departing for the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, where Trump is also expected to attend.

Trump’s tariffs have hit Canada’s auto industry particularly hard, forcing automakers such as Stellantis to relocate production lines from Ontario to Illinois. The two countries’ economies remain deeply intertwined, with more than $3.6 billion Canadian [$2.7 billion US] in goods and services crossing the border daily.

Although Trump initially appeared unconcerned by the ad earlier in the week — even joking that “if I was Canada, I’d take that same ad also” — his tone shifted sharply after the Reagan Foundation’s rebuke.

The fallout adds a new layer of uncertainty to US–Canada trade relations as both sides prepare for a scheduled review of the US–Mexico–Canada Agreement [USMCA], the deal Trump himself once hailed as one of his administration’s major trade achievements.