TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he told Ontario’s premier not to run an anti-tariff advertisement that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to end trade talks with Canada. Carney also confirmed that he apologized to the president during a dinner at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit because Trump was “offended.”
The Ontario television advertisement, which aired in the U.S., criticized Trump’s tariffs by citing a speech from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The ad infuriated Trump, who ended trade talks with Canada and announced plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10%.
When asked on Saturday about Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s response to being asked not to run the ad, Carney said, “Well, you saw what came of it.” He added, “It’s not something I would have done,” during a news conference as he wrapped up a nine-day trip to Asia.
Ford is a populist Conservative while Carney is a Liberal. As premier, Ford holds a position equivalent to a U.S. governor.
“I’m the one who is responsible, in my role as prime minister, for the relationship with the president of the U.S., and the federal government is responsible for the foreign relationship with the U.S. government,” Carney explained.
A spokesperson for Ford did not immediately respond when asked if Carney told Ford not to run the ad. Ford previously stated that Carney and Carney’s chief of staff watched the ad before it was released. Ford pulled the ad last Monday but allowed it to be shown during the first two games of the baseball World Series.
Trump said the ad misrepresented the position of Reagan, a two-term president and a beloved figure in the Republican Party. However, Reagan was wary of tariffs and used much of the 1987 address featured in Ontario’s ad to spell out the case against them.
Trump has complained that the ad was aimed at influencing the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of arguments scheduled this month that could decide whether he has the power to impose his sweeping tariffs, a key part of his economic strategy. Lower courts had ruled he had exceeded his authority.
Carney met with Trump at the White House last month and has been trying to secure a trade deal to lower some tariffs on sectors like steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll on the aluminum, steel, auto, and lumber sectors.
More than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the U.S., with nearly 3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services crossing the border daily.
https://wtop.com/world/2025/11/canadian-prime-minister-says-he-told-ontarios-premier-not-to-run-anti-tariff-ad-that-upset-trump/
