【By Chen Sijia, Observer's Net】Recently, the Ontario provincial government of Canada produced and released an anti-tariff advertisement, citing remarks by former U.S. President Reagan to criticize U.S. President Trump's tariff policy. This ad has angered Trump, who announced the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada and threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on Canada.

According to a report by Bloomberg on October 27, while visiting Asia, Trump gave an interview on Air Force One, stating that he does not want to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and will temporarily not resume trade negotiations with Canada.

Trump is expected to arrive in South Korea on the 29th to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, where Trudeau will also be present. When asked about the possibility of a meeting between the leaders of the United States and Canada in South Korea, Trump replied: "I don't want to meet with him. I will not meet with them for now. I am very satisfied with the agreement we have reached with Canada now, and we will let it happen naturally."

Trump did not reveal when the additional 10% tariff would take effect, he only said: "Let's wait and see."

Additionally, Trump stated that he knows the funding for the anti-tariff ad came from the Ontario provincial government, not the Canadian federal government, but this won't change his opinion, "The prime minister (Trudeau) knows this, everyone knows it."

On October 27, U.S. President Trump arrived in Japan aboard Air Force One. IC photo

The Canadian ad that angered Trump quoted remarks by former U.S. President Reagan from 1987 when he announced tariffs on Japanese imports.

A one-minute ad showed images of American families and workers, accompanied by Reagan's speech: "When someone says 'Let's impose tariffs on foreign imported products,' it seems they are doing a patriotic act, protecting American products and jobs. Sometimes it works in the short term, but only for a short time. In the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer."

Ontario Provincial Premier Doug Ford announced on October 14 that the Ontario provincial government planned to spend $75 million on advertising. CBS reported that the ad was aired during the first game of the World Series held late on the evening of the 24th.

Ford said on the 24th that he would remove the ad on the 27th to resume trade negotiations, "We have achieved our goal, and we have fully reached the American audience."

But the ad caused strong dissatisfaction among Trump, who on the 24th accused Canada of "altering" Reagan's remarks, declaring: "Due to their bad behavior, all trade negotiations with Canada will be terminated."

On the 25th, Trump also wrote on his self-created social platform "Truth Social": "Ronald Reagan liked to impose tariffs for national security and economic reasons, but Canada said he didn't like it! The ad should have been removed immediately, but they knew it was a scam and broadcast it last night during the World Series."

Trump said: "Due to their serious distortion of facts and hostile actions, tariffs on Canada will increase by 10% on top of what they are currently paying. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute also issued a statement accusing Canada of "distorting Reagan's speech." U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensons said on October 26 during an interview with CBS that he believed the ad was an intervention in U.S. sovereign affairs.

PBS pointed out that the Canadian ad quoted Reagan's speech from April 25, 1987, which indeed adjusted the order of some sentences, but did not change the meaning of Reagan's speech. The background of this speech was Reagan's imposition of tariffs on Japanese semiconductors. Reagan at the time explained that he imposed the tariffs because Japan had not fulfilled the trade agreement.

AP noted that Reagan's policy was more complex, and he did indeed take a series of trade protection measures, such as imposing taxes on Japanese heavy motorcycles to protect American brands like Harley-Davidson. However, Reagan also repeatedly criticized policies such as tariffs that interfere with free trade. Compared to Reagan, Trump unreservedly used the tariff "stick," claiming that tariffs could "protect American industry and attract manufacturing back to the U.S."

While the Trump administration was angry about the ad, Ford and the Ontario provincial government's actions received support from Canadian politicians. Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, Ontario, said: "Sometimes you need to throw a stone into the pond to make ripples. I'm glad our premier has the courage to accuse the president of the United States of being fickle."

Ravi Palma, forestry minister of British Columbia, revealed that the provincial government will also launch an anti-tariff ad next month, "Of course, we thank Premier Ford for his hard work. The measures we take will be cautious."

Steven MacKinnon, leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons, said: "Doug Ford is like our number one center, he is an incredible patriot." MacKinnon said he would not criticize Ford.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said that Canada now needs to study how to get trade negotiations back on track and avoid Trump implementing the latest tariff threats. Brian Clow, who previously served in the Trudeau government, said that the Ontario provincial government has agreed to remove the ad according to Trump's request, "This gives the prime minister (Trudeau) a positive message to say to Trump."

On October 26, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau attended the ASEAN Summit plenary session. IC photo

At the time of the dispute over the anti-tariff ad, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau was visiting Southeast Asia, seeking to establish stronger trade relations with Southeast Asian countries to reduce Canada's reliance on trade with the United States. Bloomberg said that Trudeau made a moderate response to the ad incident, stating on October 26 in Malaysia: "Canada is ready to continue advancing based on the progress made in negotiations with the United States."

Trudeau revealed that he had not contacted Trump since Trump announced the termination of negotiations. He stated that so far, Canada and the United States have made "considerable progress" in negotiations on steel, aluminum, and energy sectors, and Trump's anger over the anti-tariff ad was an "unexpected setback."

"In any complex, high-risk negotiation, you may encounter unexpected setbacks, and in such situations, you must remain calm," Trudeau said. "Frustration is not beneficial, and emotional solutions do not solve problems."

The political news website Politico noted that Trudeau seemed to try to keep a certain distance from Ford to ease the tension between the United States and Canada. Trudeau reiterated that bilateral trade negotiations with the U.S. government fall under the jurisdiction of the Canadian federal government, "Conducting such discussions with the United States is entirely the responsibility of the Canadian government, and this is the best way forward."

Currently, Canada faces a 35% tariff from the U.S., but goods covered by the USMCA in 2020 are exempt. Steel and aluminum products exported by Canada to the U.S. face a 50% tariff, and some Canadian-made cars and trucks face a 25% tariff. Bloomberg said that Trump did not clarify whether the new tariff threat he proposed would retain the exemption.

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