The Canadian province of Ontario has announced plans to withdraw its controversial anti-tariff advertisement on Monday to pave the way for renewed trade negotiations, following criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump accused the ad of distorting the trade views of fellow Republican and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
Despite Ontario’s decision to suspend the campaign, Trump refused to soften his stance, criticizing the province for allowing the ad to air during the first two games of baseball’s World Series over the weekend.
Adding further intensity to the diplomatic spat, the World Series features a Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays, facing the U.S. team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays dominated the Dodgers with an 11–4 victory in Friday’s opening game.
“Canada got caught cheating on a commercial, can you believe it?” Trump told reporters before departing for an Asia trip. “And I heard they were pulling the ad — I didn’t know they were putting it on a little bit more. They could have pulled it tonight,” he said. When a reporter informed him that the ad would be removed on Monday, Trump responded, “That’s dirty play. But I can play dirtier than they can.”
Earlier, Trump had declared on his Truth Social platform that he was “terminating” all negotiations with Canada, labeling the campaign a “fake ad.”
Less than a day later, Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed that the ads would be suspended after discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the growing diplomatic tensions.
“In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume,” Ford announced in a post on X.
The advertisement in question used excerpts from Ronald Reagan’s 1987 radio address on trade, where he warned of the economic risks posed by excessive tariffs on foreign imports. The Ronald Reagan Foundation criticized the Ontario government’s use of “selective audio and video,” adding that it was considering legal action.
Trump slammed the spot as a “crooked ad,” claiming that “they know Ronald Reagan loved tariffs.”
Both Trump and Prime Minister Carney are expected to attend a dinner on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea on Wednesday, though Trump has said he has no intention of meeting Carney there.
This latest flare-up follows Carney’s visit to the White House just over two weeks ago, during which he sought relief from stiff U.S. tariffs. On Friday, Carney sought to defuse tensions, stating that Canada was prepared to continue “progress” in trade discussions “when the Americans are ready.”
“We must focus on what we can control and recognize what we cannot,” he said before departing for Asia.
Trump’s global tariff measures — particularly on steel, aluminum, and automobiles — have severely impacted Canada, leading to job losses and business strain.
Currently, both nations operate under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which keeps around 85 percent of cross-border trade tariff-free. However, in a speech on Wednesday, Carney warned that U.S. tariffs had risen “to levels last seen during the Great Depression,” adding that Canada’s “economic strategy needs to change dramatically,” a process he
