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Trump says he’ll be ‘holding Canada responsible’ for wildfire smoke

Click to play video: 'Wildfire smoke from Canada engulfs US cities as air quality plummets'
Wildfire smoke from Canada engulfs US cities as air quality plummets
Smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires blanketed major U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., New York and Detroit, prompting air quality alerts across more than a dozen states. Canadian officials reported 859 active wildfires, with 113 considered out of control and more than 2.38 million hectares burned so far this season. Poor air quality prompted health warnings and disrupted daily life across several U.S. states. "It was 389 when I woke up today. So that was the worst that I've ever seen," said Detroit resident.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he plans to hold Canada accountable for wildfire smoke blowing across the border, vowing the cost will be added to the American tariffs.

“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable,” Trump posted on Truth Social Friday afternoon.

He said the wildfire smoke amounts to “Willful Negligence” and is “becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”

Trump also mentioned in his post that he would be calling Prime Minister Mark Carney “to find out what they are going to do about it.”

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Click to play video: 'Doug Ford says U.S. should send wildfire support ‘rather than complain’ about smoke crossing border'
Doug Ford says U.S. should send wildfire support ‘rather than complain’ about smoke crossing border

American politicians in Congress have criticized Canada’s response to the wildfires that have burned across the country in recent days, including with remarks that “sovereignty comes with responsibility.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday that while he “truly believe[s] the Americans are good neighbours,” he added: “if there’s some politicians out there chirping away, well, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends. And that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
Since 1982, Canada and the U.S. have been a part of the Canada/United States Reciprocal Forest Fire Fighting Arrangement, which is “an exchange of diplomatic notes is the legal instrument for resource exchange between [Canadian Interagency Forest Fires Centre] CIFFC member agencies and United States Federal Fire Management Agencies.”
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