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A television advertising campaign featuring Ronald Reagan and an anti-tariff message will be paused after it helped scupper ongoing trade talks between the US and Canada.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that the advertising campaign will finish after it airs during the World Series, following a discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume,” Ford said in a statement on social media, Friday.
Ford said the intention of the campaign was to “initiate a conversation” about the benefits and deficits of tariffs.
“Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together. God bless Canada and God bless the United States,” Ford said.
The advertising campaign cost $75 million and shows a 1987 address in which President Reagan says, “High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs.”
On Thursday, President Trump announced negotiations between the US and Canada were terminated because of the campaign.
“Tariffs are very important to the national security and economy of the U.S.A. Based on their egregious behaviour, all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated,” Trump said on Truth Social.
In a second post, on Friday, Trump said Canada had “cheated and got caught” by “fraudulently” saying Reagan did not like tariffs, “when he actually loved tariffs for our country and its national security.”
The President also accused Canada of attempting to influence the US Supreme Court in its ruling on Trump’s tariffs. The court is set to hear oral arguments on the tariffs on at the beginning of November. President Trump has said he may attend the hearing in person.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Prime Minister Carney said the US and Canada have enjoyed “detailed, constructive negotiations” and are now ready to pick up where they left off.
“A lot of progress has been made, and we stand ready to pick up on that progress and build on that progress when the Americans are ready to have those discussions,” he said.
The US has placed a wide range of tariffs on Canadia goods, including 50% tariffs on certain metals, 25% tariffs on vehicles and parts, 10% tariffs on oil and potash, and 35% tariffs on goods not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
In July, the Trump administration ended an earlier round of negotiations in response to Canada’s new digital services tax, which would have imposed a new levy on revenue generated by digital services operating in Canada and impact American companies like Amazon and Netflix. Canada cancelled the tax two days later.
