- How does Ontario’s ad compare with Reagan’s full speech? See for yourself here.
- This is how the White House and U.S. leaders are responding to the ad campaign.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford plans to pause the anti-tariff ad campaign which led U.S. President Donald Trump to halt all trade negotiations in response.
The ad will still air through the weekend — including during the first two World Series games, and will then be suspended on Monday.
Ford took to social media saying the decision came after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games,” said Ford in a post on X.
“In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume.”
From Ottawa, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Friday that Carney and Trump have not spoken since the U.S. president suspended trade talks earlier this week. Officials said no senior members of Canada’s negotiating team — including Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Sabia and Foreign Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc — were in Washington when discussions broke off.
The PMO also said that Carney spoke with Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday about the province’s controversial ad campaign. While the prime minister said he did not tell Ford to pull the ads, the PMO did point to a clear difference in strategy between the federal and Ontario governments on how to deal with Trump. Officials added that despite Ford’s suggestion trade talks could resume once the ad is suspended, Ottawa said it has no indication of when or if negotiations might restart.
Carney said that Canada must focus on “things we can control” after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was abruptly ending trade negotiations.
Premiers, union and business leaders also weighed in, with Unifor head Lana Payne saying that Canada “can’t negotiate from your knees.”
Trump made the announcement after an Ontario TV ad with anti-tariff messaging aired in the U.S that quoted former Republican president Ronald Reagan.
Carney made the comments Friday morning on the tarmac minutes before boarding a flight to Asia for trade discussions.
“For months we have stressed the importance of distinguishing things we can control and things we cannot control — we can’t control the trade policy of the United States,” said Carney speaking to reporters.
“We recognize that policy has fundamentally changed from the policy in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and it’s a situation where the United States has tariffs against every one of their trading partners.”
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Carney went on to say “a lot of progress has been made” in the negotiations between Canada and the U.S., and adds that Canada is standing by to continue discussions “when the Americans are ready.”
The Prime Minister’s Office last week had specifically described that trip to Malaysia, Singapore and Korea as being aimed at deepening trade ties.
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“The global trade landscape is rapidly changing. In the face of this upheaval, Canada’s new government is focused on transforming our economy from one that is reliant on a single trade partner to one that is stronger and more resilient to global shocks,” the Prime Minister’s Office had said.
Carney has been having intensified trade talks with the U.S. over recent weeks, aimed at the tariffs Trump has imposed on Canada, including those targeting key sectors like steel and aluminum, lumber and automotives.
During the meeting with Carney in the Oval Office, Trump said on the trade discussions with Canada that he thinks “they’re going to be very happy.”
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a post on X that “Mark Carney promised to ‘negotiate a win’ with President Trump and to get a deal by July 21st. Still no deal. Still no win.”
“Liberal elbows gone. U.S. tariffs up. Jobs headed south,” he said.
'You can't negotiate from your knees'
Ford had earlier in the day posted on social media in response to Trump’s claims that the ad represented “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions.
“Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together,” said Ford in a post on X.
“God bless Canada and God bless the United States.”
Payne, who is Unifor’s national president, called Trump’s reaction to the ad “fake outrage.”
“There is one thing the Premier of the province hardest hit by the Trump trade war understands: you can’t negotiate from your knees,” she said on X.
“From the start Trump’s intention has been to destroy our industrial base and bully Canada into economic subservience. He has knowingly broken his own commitments under CUSMA. He continues to act in bad faith. Hammering us with tariffs while at a negotiating table with us.”
Payne added: “Trump’s fake outrage over an ad that perhaps hits a little too close to the mark is just his latest ploy to sabotage any progress the Canadian negotiating team might have been making. This is what he does. Any excuse to walk away from the table and keep the pressure on us.”
'This is 3D chess,' business leader says
Meanwhile, some Canadian business leaders are focusing more on the “bigger picture” amid the volatile trade war that has seen unpredictable developments from the Trump administration in the short-term.
“While every ebb and flow in this negotiation is being closely watched, this is 3D chess,” said Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in an emailed statement.
“Our negotiators have signaled there will be no quick wins and we need to focus on the long game goal: stable trade. The business community counts on predictability, but day to day we will not lose sight of the bigger picture.”
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce said Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on other countries is “rooted in fiction,” and the North American economy as a whole must be prioritized.
“Considering the president’s national emergencies are rooted in fiction, it’s ironic to see a tantrum provoked by Ontario’s use of facts,” said Daniel Tish, president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in an emailed statement.
“While the rhetoric is stressful, at some point we must get past the theatrics — if only because the North American economy depends on it.”
National Defence Minister David McGuinty said he has “confidence in Prime Minister Carney.”
“I know there was news this morning on the trade negotiations, and I would just say that our government remains committed to working with the United States to find an agreement for workers and businesses in both of our countries,” said McGuinty speaking to the Empire Club of Canada Friday.
“We will manage the relationship. I have confidence in Prime Minister Carney.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew posted a response on social media Friday appearing to support Ford’s ad campaign saying the “ads are good — keep them on TV,” in addition to a video response.
Earlier Thursday night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute posted on X that the ad created by the government of Ontario “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.”
It added that Ontario did not receive foundation permission “to use and edit the remarks.”
The foundation said it is “reviewing legal options in this matter” and invited the public to watch the unedited video of Reagan’s address.
On Nov. 5, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether Trump can impose tariffs unilaterally under emergency powers.
– With files from The Associated Press.
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