Trump threatens additional tariffs on Canada over cross-border wildfire smoke
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President Donald Trump said the United States may raise tariffs on Canadian goods, blaming Canada for insufficient forest management that he claims is causing hazardous smoke in the U.S.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States could increase tariffs on Canada, citing recent wildfires that have sent smoke into the Midwest and East Coast. In a post on Truth Social, he said the U.S. is being "invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air" and accused Canada of "willful negligence" in forest and brush maintenance. Trump added that the pollution is costing the United States billions of dollars and that these costs should be reflected in the tariffs Canada currently pays.
Justin Trudeau’s office referred reporters to a statement from Minister of Emergency Management Eleanor Olszewski, who said Canada is working urgently with provincial and territorial partners and has invested billions of dollars in fire-prevention measures. Olszewski highlighted the long-standing cooperation between the two countries in fighting wildfires, noting Canadian firefighters’ assistance during last year’s Los Angeles fires.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra also praised the bilateral cooperation on wildfire response, while sharing Trump’s social-media criticism. The current tariff level on most Canadian imports is 10%, though many goods are exempt under the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement. A Supreme Court ruling earlier this year limited the administration’s ability to invoke emergency economic powers for new tariffs.
Republican lawmakers from Michigan and Ohio have written to Canadian officials demanding stronger forest-management actions, and some have suggested sanctions if Canada does not act. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is experiencing severe wildfires, issued a more direct criticism of the Canadian response.
The dispute comes as hundreds of fires continue to burn in Canada, producing smoke that has degraded air quality in cities such as New York, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C., and as wildfires also spread in Minnesota.