Summary
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford stood firm on anti-tariff Reagan advertisement.
- Said ad achieved its goal of sparking U.S. economic conversation.
- Claimed ad generated over a billion impressions globally.
According to Ford, the TV commercial has received "one billion views" and has drawn interest from as far away as India and the United Kingdom.
His remarks on Monday follow President Trump's announcement that he would raise tariffs on Canada by 10% "over and above" current penalties and the suspension of trade negotiations with Canada because to the advertisement.
This week, Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney are both in Asia for the ASEAN conference, but Trump told reporters he would not be meeting with Carney "for a long time" and had no plans to do so.
Over the weekend, President Trump posted on Truth Social to announce the additional 10% tax on Canada. However, it's unclear if the increased tax would be imposed generally or to particular industries.
Asked about details on Monday, Trump said:
"I don't know when it's going to kick in, and we'll see, but I don't really want to discuss it."
Although the majority of Canadian goods are excluded under an existing free trade agreement, the US has put a 35% tariff on them. Additionally, it has levied tariffs on particular industries, such as 25% on autos and 50% on steel and aluminum.
Carney informed reporters Monday that the United States and Canada were exchanging term sheets prior to the conclusion of discussions and were nearing a trade agreement.
Former US President Ronald Reagan is quoted as arguing that tariffs "hurt every American" in the Ontario government-sponsored advertisement. It uses quotes from his 1987 national radio speech about international trade.
Trump referred to it as "fraudulent" and charged Canada of attempting to sabotage a forthcoming case before the US Supreme Court that will determine the legality of the president's broad tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, and dozens of other nations.
Carney emphasized that it is the duty of the federal government to spearhead trade talks with the US, but he refrained from criticizing Ford or the advertisement itself.
On Monday, Ford informed reporters that both his chief of staff and the prime minister had seen the television commercial before its publication.
Ford referred to the advertisement as "the most successful in the history of North America" in the Ontario legislature, claiming it had sparked discussions about Trump's tariffs both domestically and internationally.
"President Trump wants to attack our country, but I'm never going to take a back seat to President Trump,"
Ford said.
A few lawmakers from Canada have expressed their support for Ford.
On Sunday, Brampton, Ontario, Mayor Patrick Brown told CBC that he is "glad our premier had the courage to call out the US president on his inconsistencies."
Premier David Eby of British Columbia announced that his province will launch its own anti-tariff advertisements over US lumber duties the following month.
What legal issues arise from using Reagan's voice in the ad?
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute stated that the Ontario government didn't seek or gain authorization to use or edit extracts from Reagan’s 1987 radio address. The foundation contended that the announcement "misrepresents" Reagan's address by widely editing audio and videotape, and they're reviewing legal options against Ontario.
While the speech itself is part of the public sphere under the Presidential Record Act (1981), which means authorization to use the presidential speeches isn't fairly needed, the foundation claims the announcement distorts the environment and widely edits the content.
The announcement rearranged portions of Reagan’s speech out of chronological order and neglected crucial contextual points, similar as Reagan’s posterior duty of duties on Japanese products, raising enterprises about misleading representation.