Ontario will stop anti-tariff TV ads on Monday after Trump ends trade talks

The Premier of Ontario announced Friday that he will stop running television advertisements opposing American tariffs following President Donald Trump’s decision to cut off trade discussions with Canada.

Doug Ford, who leads Canada’s biggest province, said he spoke with Prime Minister Mark Carney and chose to halt the advertising effort starting Monday. This move aims to get trade conversations back on track between the two countries.

Trump said he was stopping “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television commercial paid for by Ontario. The advertisement used words from former President Ronald Reagan to speak against American tariffs.

Ford explained in a public statement that the campaign accomplished what it set out to do by reaching important people in the United States. He said the goal was always to start discussions about what kind of economy Americans want and how tariffs affect workers and companies.

The commercials will keep playing this weekend, including during the first World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ford told his staff to continue showing the message to Americans over the weekend so the commercial could run during the first two World Series games.

The advertisement appeared on Friday night during the seventh inning when Fox showed Game 1 across the country. At that time, the Blue Jays were winning 11-4.

Trump accuses Canada of using fake Ronald Reagan footage

Trump wrote on Thursday that the Ronald Reagan Foundation announced Canada had used a fake advertisement that showed Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs.

The president wrote, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs.”

On Friday, Trump continued his criticism of the Ontario advertisements, stating that Canada was attempting to influence a forthcoming Supreme Court decision regarding his global tariff plan.

Trump’s sudden call to end negotiations has made trade tensions worse between the neighboring countries that have been allies for many years.

Carney said this week he wants to double his country’s sales to nations other than the United States because of the danger from Trump’s tariffs. Canadian officials stay ready to continue talks to lower tariffs in some areas, he said.

Carney spoke Friday morning before getting on a plane to Asia, saying Canada cannot control American trade policy. He noted that policy has changed a lot since the 1980s, so Canada must focus on what it can control and accept what it cannot control.

Carney is working to get a trade agreement with Trump, but tariffs are hurting the aluminum, steel, car, and lumber industries.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said talks with Canada have not made any helpful progress. Desai stated in a press release that Ontario’s taxpayer-funded advertisement campaign on American television networks incorrectly edited President Reagan’s 1987 radio address on trade. This shows how Canadian officials would rather play games than work with the administration.

Desai added that President Trump made clear on Truth Social that more talks would be pointless if Canada cannot be serious.

The Ontario government said it would spend approximately CA$75 million, which is equivalent to $54 million, to air the advertisements on various American television stations. The ads use audio and video of Reagan talking about tariffs in 1987.

Canada is ready to resume trade negotiations when the US is prepared

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country is ready to start trade talks again “when the Americans are ready.” This came hours after Trump suddenly stopped negotiations between the two countries.

American and Canadian negotiators were making progress in talks about the steel, aluminum, and energy industries, Carney said. He stated that Canada stands ready to continue that progress and build on it when Americans are ready to have those discussions.

Kevin Hassett, a top White House economic adviser, had a different view Friday about how the discussions between America and Canada were going. Hassett said on Fox News that negotiations with the Canadians have not been very friendly and have not been going well. He thinks the president feels very frustrated with the situation.

The dispute shows the ongoing challenges in trade relationships between the United States and Canada as both countries try to protect their economic interests while maintaining their long-standing partnership.

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