Trump raises tariffs on Canadian goods in response to Reagan advert

BBC:

US President Donald Trump has said he is increasing tariffs on goods imported from Canada after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.

In a post on social media on Saturday, Trump called the advert a “fraud” and lashed out at Canadian officials for not removing it ahead of the World Series baseball championship.

“Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” he wrote.

After Trump on Thursday withdrew from trade talks with Canada, the Ontario premier said he would take down the advert.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that he would pause his province’s anti-tariff advertisement campaign in the US, telling reporters that he made the decision after discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney “so that trade talks can resume”.

He also said it would still run over the weekend, including during games for the World Series, which features the Toronto Blue Jays against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

US-Canada trade minister Dominic LeBlanc responded to the tariff increase, saying: “We stand ready to build on the progress made in constructive discussions with American counterparts over the course of recent weeks.

“We will remain focused on achieving results that benefit workers and families in both the United States and Canada, and that progress is best achieved through direct engagement with the US administration – which is the responsibility of the federal government.”

Canada is the only G7 country that has not reached a deal with the US since Trump began seeking to charge steep tariffs on goods from major trading partners.

The US has already imposed a 35% levy on all Canadian goods – though most are exempt under an existing free trade agreement. It has also slapped sector-specific levies on Canadian goods, including a 50% levy on metals and 25% on automobiles.

In his post, sent while he was traveling to Asia, Trump seemed to say he was adding 10 percentage points to those taxes.

Three-quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the US, and Ontario is home to the bulk of Canada’s automobile manufacturing.

The advert, which was sponsored by the Ontario government, quotes former US President Ronald Reagan, a Republican and icon of US conservatism, saying tariffs “hurt every American”.

The video takes excerpts from a 1987 national radio address that focused on foreign trade.