【By Liu Bai, Observer News】A television advertisement in Ontario, Canada, opposing the increase of tariffs has angered US President Trump. On 25th local time, Trump threatened on social media that he plans to impose an additional 10% tariff on imports from Canada, as the Canadian side failed to remove the ad in a timely manner.
This statement shocked many Canadian industry professionals: the US president is willing to make American citizens pay hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes just because of an ad. The head of Canada's largest private sector union denounced the new tariffs as the latest example of Trump's deliberate destruction of the Canadian economy, and his usual tactics of creating crises and fabricating excuses for extortion.
Trump announced late on the 23rd that he would suspend trade negotiations with Canada, citing his dissatisfaction with an advertisement sponsored by the provincial government of Ontario.
This ad, costing about $75 million, was produced by the province of Ontario and aired on multiple American television stations. The one-minute ad featured images of American families and workers, with a voiceover using a clip from former US President Reagan's speech criticizing high tariffs harming the US economy: "Sometimes tariffs are effective in the short term, but only temporarily... In the long run, these trade barriers harm the interests of every American worker and consumer."
Notably, this ad was aired during the World Series of Major League Baseball (MLB), the highest level of professional baseball in the United States, where millions of American viewers watched it.
The Ontario provincial government-sponsored anti-tariff ad quotes a speech by Reagan
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on the 24th that the provincial government would withdraw the ad in an effort to restart trade negotiations, but the withdrawal will not be implemented until Monday (27th). This means that the ad will not only be broadcast during the first game of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 24th, but also continue to be shown during the second game the next day.
"Canada was caught red-handed, airing a false ad that distorted Ronald Reagan's tariff speech," Trump wrote while traveling aboard on Air Force One to Malaysia on the 25th. "They should have immediately removed the ad! But instead, they let it air last night during the World Series, knowing it was a false ad."
"Because of their hostile actions that severely distort the facts, I have decided to increase the tariffs on Canada by another 10%!"
Ford's spokesperson said via email to the media after Trump announced his decision that the premier's plan to remove the ad had not changed. Neither the White House nor the office of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau responded to the request for comment from the Toronto Star.
However, the leader of the Canadian Steel Workers Union said that Trump's response proved the ad had its effect.
"I support Premier Doug Ford's ad. Canadians have had enough of Trump's antics. The new 10% tariff on Canadian imports clearly exposes Trump's weak character," said Marti Warren of the Steel Workers Union.
"If our political leaders can unite for all Canadians and remain patient, we have the ability to bring this trade war to a favorable conclusion."
Displeased with the Canadian anti-tariff ad, Trump announced an additional 10% tariff on Canada IC Photo
Additionally, the head of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association sent a statement via text message, strongly criticizing Trump's decision.
"The US president is preparing to charge American citizens hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes because of an ad aired during the World Series," said the association's CEO Flavio Volpe. "Read that sentence again and ask yourself, what happened to the famous system of checks and balances in the US?"
He also stated on social media, "Clearly, due to Trump's madness, a TV ad is about to cost American consumers around $5 billion."
The head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce also harshly criticized Trump's latest extreme remarks, stating that this move would ultimately cause the most damage to the US itself.
At the same time, the head of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce said that this ad was just an excuse for the US president.
"Canada did not yield to his demands, so Trump used the ad from Ontario as an excuse to further harm us," said Daniel Tisch, CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. "But essentially, it's a threat to American people, who are the ones actually paying these tariffs. His excessive attention to this ad actually proves the truth conveyed by the ad: tariffs are a form of self-harm for the US."
The head of Canada's largest private sector union directly pointed out that the new tariffs are the latest example of Trump's deliberate destruction of the Canadian economy.
"This is Trump's usual tactic: creating a crisis, fabricating excuses for extortion, weakening our negotiation capacity, and ultimately aiming to plunder our resources and destroy our industrial economy," said Lana Payne, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. "Canada has considerable influence, and we must retaliate."
Just before Trump suspended the trade negotiations, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation expressed opposition to the ad and said that the Ontario provincial government "did not seek or obtain permission before using and editing these statements."
The foundation believes that the ad "distorted" Reagan's words and is considering legal action.
The US is Canada's largest trading partner. Canada's economy has been hit hard by Trump's tariff policies, with about three-quarters of Canadian exports going to the US last year. Ontario, with a population of about 16 million, is the center of Canada's steel and automotive industries and has been at the center of the trade war.
Bloomberg reported that Trump's tariff threats have introduced new uncertainties into trade between the two countries. Last year, the value of goods and services traded between the US and Canada exceeded $900 billion. Due to Trump's comments, the Canadian dollar fell slightly.
In November, the US Supreme Court will expedite the review of the legality of several of Trump's tariffs and hold oral arguments on November 5, which is expected to determine the future of Trump's tariff policy.
Canadian Cabinet Minister for Canada-US Trade, Dominic Leblanc, stated that despite Trump's latest threat of an additional 10% tariff, Canada will focus on conducting "constructive dialogue" with the US. "We are ready to continue working based on the constructive results of recent dialogues with the corresponding departments in the US."
Professor Sridhar Jandhyala of the Essec Business School in France told Business Insider that the Canadian government has set a goal to double non-US market exports over the next decade and is beginning to rebuild cooperation with India and China.
"Canada is increasingly focusing on diversifying its market and trade relationships, which will help mitigate risks," Jandhyala said. "For individual exporters, the challenge lies in finding new buyers in markets where they have not previously established partnerships, customers, or relationships."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is currently in Malaysia seeking trade opportunities with ASEAN countries. Trump arrived there on the 26th.
Trudeau has not yet commented on Trump's latest tax threat, but on the 24th, he stated that Canada is ready to continue advancing previous progress when the US is willing to resume negotiations, as this would benefit American workers, Canadian workers, and families in both countries.
Trudeau also said that progress has been made on tariff reductions in specific areas such as steel, aluminum, and energy.
This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
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