National

How it started, how it ended: A chronology of Ontario's ad blitz against U.S. tariffs

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Nov, 2025 02:14 PM

Here is a day-by-day chronology of the controversy over Ontario's advertising campaign against U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods:

Tues., Oct. 14: The office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province will spend $75 million to broadcast an anti-tariff ad in the United States using video of an address by former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who said in 1987 that in the long run, "such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer."

Tues., Oct. 21: A day after the ad airs during a broadcast of a baseball playoff game won by the Toronto Blue Jays, U.S. President Donald Trump says he saw the commercial, adding "if I was Canada I'd take that same ad also."

Thu., Oct. 23: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute says the ad misrepresents Reagan's remarks and that Ontario did not seek or receive permission to "use and edit the remarks."

Trump says he is ending trade negotiations with Canada over the commercial.

The ad isn't a "fake" as Trump claims, but Reagan's quotes are spliced together from different sections of the original speech.

Ford's office defends the ad.

Fri., Oct. 24: Trump accuses Canada of "cheating" by saying that Reagan did not like tariffs, which Trump claims the late president "loved."

David McLaughlin and Geoff Norquay, who worked as senior policy advisers for former prime minister Brian Mulroney, say the ad did not misconstrue Reagan's views on trade.

Ford says his government will pull the ad after the weekend, though it's still set to run during the first two games of the World Series.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew encourages Ford to keep the ad campaign going, saying Trump's tariffs betray Reagan's legacy.

Sat., Oct. 25: Trump says the U.S. will impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods because Ontario didn't immediately pull down the ad.

Mon., Oct. 27: Ford vows he will "never apologize" for pushing back against hostile trade measures designed to poach jobs from his province.

Fri., Oct. 31: Trump says Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized for the ad but the U.S. president adds that trade talks are not resuming.

Sat., Nov. 1: Carney confirms he apologized to Trump and says he told Ford he didn't think the province should run the ad campaign.

Sun., Nov. 2: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the ad amounted to foreign interference in American public policy.

Mon., Nov. 3: Ford says Carney called him "a couple of times" from a trip to Asia to ask him to pull the ad campaign.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Feds watering down key promise: gun-control group

A leading gun-control group is accusing the Liberal government of watering down a promise to ensure firearms are properly scrutinized before entering the Canadian market. The government recently published proposed regulations aimed at ensuring all gun makes and models for sale in Canada are known to the federal firearms registrar.

Feds watering down key promise: gun-control group

Possible scenarios that could play out in Ottawa as the Liberal government teeters

With MPs set to return to the House of Commons on Jan. 27, the Liberal grip on power appears tenuous. The NDP, which has been a steady ally of the minority government since the 2021 election, is no longer planning to support the Liberals.

Possible scenarios that could play out in Ottawa as the Liberal government teeters

China slams Canada human-rights criticism as 'hypocritical farce of double standards'

China is accusing Canada of hypocrisy for criticizing Beijing's human-rights record, pointing to issues faced by Indigenous Peoples. The blowback comes after Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accuses of "grave human rights violations" against ethnic and religious minorities, and voiced concern about democracy in Hong Kong.

China slams Canada human-rights criticism as 'hypocritical farce of double standards'

Canada primed for more severe wildfire days, driven by dry forest fuel: study

Canadian forests are increasingly primed for severe, uncontrollable wildfires, a study published Thursday said, underlining what the authors described as a pressing need to proactively mitigate the "increased threat posed by climate change." The study by Canadian researchers, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, looked at Canadian fire severity from 1981 to 2020.

Canada primed for more severe wildfire days, driven by dry forest fuel: study

B.C. property values flat across much of province, especially in urban centres

BC Assessment says the newly updated property values, as of July 1, 2024, show almost all Lower Mainland communities within a three per cent rise or decline from the previous year.

B.C. property values flat across much of province, especially in urban centres

Calgary army reservist and museum director killed while ice climbing in B.C.

A Calgary army reserve officer was killed in an ice-climbing accident in eastern British Columbia over the holidays. Maj. Dave Peabody died while off-duty on Dec. 26 in Kootenay National Park, the military said Thursday.