Trump claims Carney issued apology over Ontario ad as trade talks remain stalled
Donald Trump says he won’t resume trade talks with Canada even after Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for an anti-tariff Ontario government advertisement that raised the ire of the U.S. President.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way back from Asia on Friday, Mr. Trump said Mr. Carney apologized to him for the ad, which quoted part of a 1987 address from former president Ronald Reagan that warned of the dire economic effects of tariffs on the U.S. economy.
“I have a very good relationship. I like him a lot. But you know what they did was wrong. He was very nice, he apologized for what they did with the commercial,” Mr. Trump said.
The U.S. President called the advertisement “a false commercial” and claimed that Mr. Reagan “loved tariffs.”
“He did apologize, and I appreciated it. We had a great dinner, you know, with other countries, as you know, and I think we have a very good relationship, personally,” Mr. Trump said.
The President and Mr. Carney came face to face this week at a small dinner in South Korea where they were both attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit.
Asked whether he’ll be resuming negotiations with Canada, Mr. Trump said no.
The U.S. President has previously said that he’ll raise tariffs on Canada by 10 per cent as a result of the ad but has not yet followed through.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on Friday. Mr. Carney was scheduled to hold a news conference on Saturday in South Korea after attending the APEC summit, where he also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has defended the advertisement, which he called “the most successful ad in the history of North America,” and said Mr. Carney and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff viewed the ad before it was released. Mr. Carney has not yet answered questions about whether he saw the ad ahead of time.
The television ad played last weekend, including during the first two games of the World Series, before Mr. Ford pulled it on Monday.
Mr. Ford has also said he chose to continue running the ads even after the U.S. cut off negotiations with Canada. He said earlier this week that he went ahead with the ad to achieve a “good impact” with American audiences and help secure a fair trade deal for Ontario, “not a one-sided Donald Trump deal.”
Mr. Ford’s office declined to comment on Friday, pointing to the Premier’s previous comments.
The Ontario Premier, who has said that Canada needs to fight back against Mr. Trump’s tariffs, wrote an opinion piece in Friday’s Washington Post, comparing Canada with the Toronto Blue Jays. He said the timing couldn’t be better for the Jays to be in the World Series, and that U.S. tariffs on Canada’s economy are testing the long-standing partnership between the two countries.
“Americans are underestimating the Jays,” Mr. Ford wrote. He added that, “Like our team, Canada can boast about being a global heavyweight, too,” citing the country’s energy industry and critical minerals.
Ontario’s ad was also raised on the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday, where senators voted to end Mr. Trump’s tariffs on Canada. Four Republicans broke with the President to side with the Democrats in the 50-to-46 vote.
The ad is much shorter than Mr. Reagan’s original address. It is edited, with certain passages presented out of order.
In Mr. Reagan’s original speech, the late president defended imposing duties on Japan during a trade dispute over semiconductors. He alleged that Japan was failing to enforce Japanese companies’ violations of a trade agreement with the United States.
But Mr. Reagan explained why tariffs are generally bad for the U.S. and hurt free trade, which is largely what the Ontario government quoted in its ad.
With a report from Robert Fife
This article was first reported by The Globe and Mail
