Ontario will suspend its short-lived television advertising campaign in the United States criticizing U.S. tariffs, Premier Doug Ford announced Friday.
The decision comes as Canada prepares to restart trade negotiations with Washington.
Ford said he chose to halt the ads after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is currently in Asia attending a series of summits where he is expected to meet with President Donald Trump. The move is intended to create a more constructive atmosphere for the renewed talks, Ford said.
The decision came after the ad angered Trump and he abruptly ceased all current trade negotiations with Canada.
That said, Ford added that the ads will continue to air through the weekend so they can run during the first two games of the World Series, ensuring they reach a large American audience before being paused, according to The Canadian Press.
“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. We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford said in a statement issued to the media on Frida.
An irritated Trump suspended trade negotiations following the release of Ontario’s anti-tariff ad campaign, which featured archival footage of former President Ronald Reagan warning about the economic harm caused by tariffs.
Officials with the Reagan Library said on Friday that Ford’s government had not obtained permission from them to feature the former US president and that the ad took Reagan out of context.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith praised Ford’s decision to pause the ads, saying that diplomatic engagement — not public confrontation — is the best path toward resolving the ongoing trade dispute, the CP noted.
“I am pleased to see Ontario’s ad campaign is being suspended and I once again urge the federal government to continue negotiating to resolve these tariff issues and restore a free and fair trade agreement with the United States,” Smith noted on social media.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew offered a different take, saying in a video statement earlier Friday that Trump’s reaction proved the ad campaign had been effective. Kinew urged Ford to stay the course and not withdraw the ads.
“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,” Kinew said.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Ottawa’s airport Friday morning, Carney said Canada has little influence over a U.S. trade policy that has “fundamentally changed.”
“Our officials, my colleagues, have been working with their American colleagues on detailed, constructive negotiations, discussions on specific transactions, specific sectors — steel, aluminum and energy — and a lot of progress has been made,” said the prime minister before boarding a Canadian government plane.
“We stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready to have those discussions,” he noted further.
As he left the White House for his trip to Asia on Friday night, Trump criticized the Ontario ad, calling it “crooked” and “possibly AI-generated.” The comments came after the spot aired during the seventh inning of Fox’s national broadcast of Game 1 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers.
“They could have pulled it tonight,” Trump said. “Well, that’s dirty play — but I can play dirtier than they can, you know.”
At the time, Trump said he did not have any plans to meet with or speak to Carney, though that could change now that the ad is being pulled.
Carney met with Trump at the White House earlier this month, and Canadian officials had indicated that progress was being made on a series of sector-specific trade agreements.
