Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed on Saturday that he apologized to President Donald Trump for an Ontario government advertisement shown during the World Series, which featured former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs as a policy instrument.
Carney also told reporters that Ontario Premier Doug Ford showed him the advertisement before its release.
“I told him that for Canadians, it was time to speak, to discuss, to negotiate with the Americans,” Carney said of the incident, “Mr. Ford has made a decision, he is independent, he can do it. But it’s not exactly useful.”
“We generated a conversation that wasn’t happening in the U.S.,” Ford said. The $75 million ad was aired in Republican-held House districts in the United States.
Trump, whose presidential campaigns have used Reagan phrases such as “Make America Great Again,” canceled trade negotiations with Canada after seeing the ad pushed by the Ontario government. He also imposed a 10% tariff on the country after the Reagan ad re-aired.
Ford eventually pulled the ad from the air, but continues to defend his actions. He has support from 56% of Canadians, according to a Canadian poll.
The Senate voted to end the national emergency declaration that Trump declared to begin hiking tariffs on Canada. Four Republicans joined Democrats to pass the bill, but it remains largely symbolic as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has blocked similar legislation before.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation said the ad misrepresented Reagan’s remarks. The video presented an edited version of Reagan’s speech justifying his tariffs on Japan despite his general support for free trade.
TRUMP TELLS SUPREME COURT STRIKING DOWN TARIFFS WOULD ‘DISARM’ HIM ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE
“When someone says, ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, and sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time,” begins the ad featuring Reagan.
Trump also halted negotiations with Canada in June due to the country’s plan to impose a Digital Services Tax on American tech companies, prompting Canada to decide against collecting those fees.
