For months, trade tensions between Canada and the United States have simmered, often boiling over into public spats and policy clashes. But in late October 2025, those tensions reached a dramatic flashpoint, as a controversial Ontario government advertisement targeting U.S. tariffs prompted President Donald Trump to abruptly end all trade talks with Canada—at least for now.
The ad in question, funded by Ontario’s provincial government and championed by Premier Doug Ford, used audio and video from former President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 radio address to criticize U.S. tariffs. According to BBC News, the spot quoted Reagan as saying tariffs “hurt every American,” aiming to spark a conversation about the economic impact of protectionist policies. Ford’s intention, as he later explained, was “to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”
But that conversation quickly turned into a diplomatic crisis. On October 23, 2025, President Trump took to his social media platform to denounce the ad as “FAKE” and “egregious behavior,” accusing Canada of attempting to sway an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on his global tariff regime. In his post, Trump wrote, “The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs. The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.” He concluded, “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.” (LAist)
The fallout was immediate. The Ronald Reagan Foundation, responsible for preserving the late president’s legacy, released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) asserting that the Ontario government had misrepresented Reagan’s address and used the material without permission. The Foundation said it was “reviewing legal options in this matter” and encouraged the public to watch the unedited video of Reagan’s speech. (LAist, BBC News)
Premier Ford, undeterred at first, insisted the campaign had achieved its primary goal: reaching American audiences at the highest levels. “We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford said in a statement. “Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.” He added that the commercials would continue to run through the weekend, including during the highly-watched World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Indeed, the ad aired during the seventh inning of Game 1, with the Blue Jays leading 11-4. (Associated Press, BBC News)
However, the escalating backlash—both from the White House and the Reagan Foundation—forced Ford’s hand. On October 24, after discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ford announced he would pause the ad campaign effective Monday, October 27, to allow trade talks to potentially resume. “I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games,” Ford said, but confirmed the campaign would be paused after that. (Associated Press, BBC News)
The Ontario government had spent approximately 75 million Canadian dollars (about 54 million U.S. dollars) on the campaign, ensuring the ad ran across multiple American television stations. Ford, a populist conservative, was clear about his strategy: “It’s real, because it was coming from the best president the country’s ever seen, Ronald Reagan. I feel the Reagan Republicans are going to be fighting with the MAGA group, and let’s hope, Reagan Republicans win.”
Not everyone was convinced this was the right approach. Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University, told AP the ad had “backfired big time.” Mahmood Nanji, a fellow at Western University’s Ivey Business School, described Trump’s posts as “full of theatrics and hyperbole,” but warned that Ford’s combative tactics had become an “unnecessary distraction.” Even former Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney weighed in, defending the ad’s accuracy but blasting the Reagan Foundation’s response as “gormless leadership which is easily intimidated by a call from the White House.”
Meanwhile, the economic stakes for Canada—especially Ontario—couldn’t be higher. Trump’s tariffs have hit Canadian industries hard, especially aluminum, steel, autos, and lumber. The auto sector, largely based in Ontario, has been particularly battered. In October, Stellantis announced it would move a production line from Ontario to Illinois, a blow Ford described as a catalyst for his tough stance. “We need to fight back,” Ford told reporters, adding he was “sick and tired of sitting and rolling over.” (LAist, BBC News)
Prime Minister Mark Carney, for his part, has taken a more diplomatic route. He has spent months attempting to negotiate a deal that would ease U.S. tariffs, even as his government has retaliated with levies of its own—though with exemptions for certain automakers. Carney told reporters that Canada remains ready to resume trade talks “when the Americans are ready.” He also acknowledged the vulnerability of Canada’s economy due to its reliance on U.S. trade, noting that three-quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the U.S. and nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border every day. “We have to take care of ourselves because we can’t rely on one foreign partner,” Carney said in a speech teasing his government’s upcoming budget. (BBC News, LAist)
White House spokesman Kush Desai didn’t mince words, calling Ontario’s ad campaign “the latest example of how Canadian officials would rather play games than engage with the Administration.” He added, “Further talks are a futile effort if Canada can’t be serious.”
Yet, Ford’s approach found some support at home. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and British Columbia Premier David Eby both backed the ad campaign, with Kinew stating, “If you throw a rock at a lake and you don’t hear a splash, you probably missed. So to my good friend Doug Ford, keep the ads on TV. They’re effective, and this country is behind you.”
As both Trump and Carney departed for the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the path forward for Canada-U.S. trade relations remained highly uncertain. Carney’s focus, he said, would be “developing new partnerships and opportunities, including with the economic giants of Asia.” But the door to renewed talks with the U.S. was left ajar, even as the wounds from the ad campaign continued to fester.
The saga underscores just how fraught—and unpredictable—North American trade relations have become in the era of tariffs, populist politics, and high-stakes diplomacy. Whether Ford’s gamble will ultimately help or hinder Canada’s economic fortunes remains to be seen, but for now, all eyes are on what comes next after the commercials fade from American screens.