Canadian Prime Minister Apologizes to U.S. President Over Tariff Advertisement

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump for an Ontario-funded advertisement that criticized tariffs and featured a quote from former President Ronald Reagan. The advertisement, which aired during the first two games of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers, used clips from Reagan's 1987 national radio address, where he argued that trade barriers harm American workers and consumers.

In response to the advertisement, President Trump suspended trade talks with Canada and announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports. Carney, speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in South Korea, stated, "I did apologise to the president." He added that the advertisement was "not something I would have done" and acknowledged that President Trump was "offended" by it.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who was responsible for the advertisement, had shown the clip to Prime Minister Carney beforehand. Carney advised against proceeding with it. The advertisement reportedly led to a heated exchange between U.S. envoy Pete Hoekstra and Ontario trade representative David Paterson. Ford described Hoekstra's remarks as "absolutely unacceptable" and stated that an apology was necessary.

Since taking office, President Trump has imposed tariffs on several nations, including Canada. The U.S. maintains a 35% tariff on Canadian goods, with certain sectors facing higher tariffs, such as 50% on steel and aluminum and 25% on automobiles. This week, President Trump accused Canada of using the advertisement to interfere in an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case that will assess the legality of the president's broad tariffs on multiple countries.