US President Donald Trump has abruptly terminated all trade negotiations with Canada, accusing the country of 'egregious behaviour' over a television advertisement that quoted former president Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs. The ad, paid for by the government of the Canadian province of Ontario, used excerpts from a 1987 speech in which Reagan said 'trade barriers hurt every American worker'.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Canada had 'fraudulently used an advertisement', calling it 'FAKE', and alleged the ad was an attempt to influence US Supreme Court hearings on the legality of his global tariffs, which begin on 5 November. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Friday that all trade negotiations with Ottawa had been suspended.
The dispute stems from Washington's imposition of a 25% tariff on imports of Canadian goods including timber, steel, aluminium and cars in the spring, later raised to 35% in August. Ontario has been particularly hard hit, and Premier Doug Ford launched the ad campaign earlier in October, saying: 'Using every tool we have, we'll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada.'
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute criticised the ad, stating that Ontario did not seek or receive permission to use the clips and that the advert 'misrepresents' Reagan's comments. The foundation said it was 'reviewing its legal options'. Trump cited this criticism in his social media post.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed disappointment over Trump's tariff escalation. More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the US, with nearly C$3.6bn worth of goods crossing the border daily. Carney has vowed to continue negotiations while diversifying export markets.
