Premier Doug Ford seems to have gotten the attention of President Donald Trump, albeit not in the way intended. The US leader announced a further 10% tariff in direct retaliation for Ontario’s anti-tariff ad continuing to air during the World Series.
Trump said Ontario committed a “hostile act” and claimed “serious misrepresentation of the facts.” The escalation came two days after he terminated trade talks over the ad.
The Ontario government funded a $75 million campaign built around Ronald Reagan’s 1987 words warning about the damage from tariffs, and bought premium placements across US networks. Ford acknowledged he would pause the campaign, but only starting Monday, so it continued to run through the first two World Series games.
The ad’s accuracy became part of the fight. Media analysis noted Reagan’s 1987 address was re-ordered but not altered in substance.
“To be clear, a TV commercial is about to cost American consumers about $50B because he’s mad,” said Flavio Volpe of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association.
Trump’s added 10% sits on top of a tariff regime that already includes a 35% rate on non-CUSMA goods and sectoral duties that have hit core Canadian industries like steel and aluminum.
The immediate scope and effective date of the new levy were not clear, which adds uncertainty for shippers, retailers, and manufacturers planning November orders.
Ford defended the buy as a deliberate push to force a conversation in America about tariffs’ damage and declared “we’ve achieved our goal, having reached US audiences at the highest levels.”
On the other hand, Ottawa emphasized that federal officials had made progress in recent weeks on sector-specific relief.
“That progress is best achieved through direct engagement with the U.S. administration — which is the responsibility of the federal government,” Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on X, underlining that the ad was a provincial initiative.
Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney will both be in Malaysia for the ASEAN summit, but Trump said he has no intention of meeting Carney there.
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