The premier of Canada’s Ontario province on Saturday sharply criticised US President Donald Trump after he threatened to add “the cost of pollution” from Canadian wildfires to tariffs already imposed on the country, CNN reports.
Trump, speaking Friday, blamed Canada for smoke from ongoing wildfires that has blanketed much of the Midwest and eastern United States.
He said he would call Prime Minister Mark Carney “to find out what they are doing about it” and suggested the expense of dealing with the pollution could be added to existing tariffs.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their forests and brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is battling 191 active wildfires, expressed frustration at the remarks. He reminded reporters that Canadian crews had assisted in fighting wildfires in Southern California last year.
“I find it a shame the administration in the US and Congress people are writing these letters and blaming us,” Ford said at a news conference.
“They have a very short memory. We had the water bombers, everyone ready, going over to California. It was last year. That’s what neighbors do. You don’t start threatening and criticising, because one day it’s going to be your turn, and we’ll be there without hesitation to support our neighbors.”
Air quality alerts have been issued for more than 100 million people across 18 states and the District of Columbia, with “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” conditions stretching from northeast Minnesota to southeast Virginia.
Trump added in another post: “This is willful negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States billions of dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the tariffs Canada is currently paying.”
The dispute comes amid already strained relations between Washington and Ottawa. After the Supreme Court ruled Trump could not use emergency powers to levy tariffs, his administration has relied on slower statutory processes. The White House has pledged to restore tariff levels to those in place before the ruling.
Canada has long been a target of Trump’s trade ire, with accusations of unfair lumber practices and auto job losses. While the USMCA trade pact initially shielded many Canadian exports, the administration declined to renew the agreement in its current form earlier this month.
Ford said Canadians and Americans share deep bonds but called Trump’s comments “absolutely unacceptable.”
He noted that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey had offered Ontario assistance with the fires, while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told him his state was already overwhelmed with its own crisis.
