'Best ad...achieved our goal': Ontario Premier won't apologise for Reagan ad despite Trump's tariff punch

Despite US President Donald Trump's ire, Ontario declined to apologise for sponsoring an anti-tariff television advertisement that resulted in end of Canada's trade talks with America. Trump had on Saturday (Oct 25) tincreased tariffs on Canada by an additional 10 per cent "above what they're paying now."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he had taken the decision over a tariff-related ad by Canada's Ontario province, featuring a video of former US President Ronald Reagan. Trump said that the ad was misleading as Reagan was quoted saying in the ad that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster. Trump's reaction came a day after it was aired during the World Series broadcast. On Thursday, Trump reacted to the ad for the first time and ended trade talks with Canada.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters at the province’s legislature in Toronto, “We have achieved our goal, to make sure that conversation starts with the American people, and with their elected officials, and my goodness, it’s started all right. The best ad that ever ran, I’ll tell you,” he said.

Ontario’s advertisement features Ronald Reagan’s voice criticising tariffs on imports, warning they lead to job losses and trade conflicts. It pieces together five full sentences from one of his weekly speeches, rearranged out of order. The ad omits that Reagan’s remarks were made while justifying limited tariffs on Japan as an unfortunate but necessary exception to his strong support for free trade. It cited the Republican icon as saying "high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars", a quote that matches a transcript of his speech on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's website.

“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, angrily. However, on Oct 27, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday he was ready to talk with Trump.