U.S. President Donald Trump says he has terminated trade negotiations with Canada over an Ontario government ad that uses former U.S. president Ronald Reagan's own words to spread an anti-tariff message to an American audience.
It's the latest turmoil in ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries, during which Ontario Premier Doug Ford has routinely appealed directly to Americans and taken a more adversarial tone than his federal counterparts.
Sources have told CBC News and Radio-Canada that Trump's decision last night caught the Carney government by surprise. One source said Trump is genuinely reacting to the ad, not using it as pretext for a deeper negotiating tactic.
But Trump's move to abruptly halt negotiations was days in the making. Here’s a timeline of events to this point:
Tuesday, Oct. 14
The government of Ontario launches the $75-million ad campaign. The one-minute ad features a voiceover from former U.S. president Ronald Reagan’s April 1987 radio address about free trade. The audio plays over a series of cinematic shots depicting American scenery and workers.
Although the original address does include a section defending some tariffs the U.S.
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