The Ontario, Canada, provincial government will pause a television ad featuring former U.S. President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs, but only after airing it during the first two World Series games this weekend.
Ontario To Pause Ad On Monday
In an X post, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, “Our goal was always to start a dialogue about the type of economy that Americans want to create and the effects of tariffs on businesses and workers.”
“We have reached the highest levels of U.S. audiences, achieving our goal.”
According to Ford, he directed his team to keep the message going all weekend so that the commercial could be shown during the first two World Series games.
He added that after speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, he confirmed that Ontario will halt the U.S. advertising campaign on Monday to resume U.S.-Canada trade negotiations.
Ford announced Oct. 16 that Ontario would spend $75 million to run the ad in the U.S.
Trump Scraps Trade Talks Over Ad
President Donald Trump halted trade talks with Canada on Thursday after the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute claimed the ad misrepresents Reagan’s April 1987 radio address and that his remarks were edited without permission.
See Also: Trump’s $300 Million White House Ballroom Could Soon Bear A Very Familiar Name
In a Thursday morning Truth Social post, an angered Trump referred to the advertisement as “FAKE” and said that “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.” He also accused Canada of trying to sway Supreme Court rulings.
Trump wrote “CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT” later on Friday, accusing Canada of imposing tariffs on American farmers of up to 400%.
The termination coincided with rumors that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea might see the announcement of a steel quota trade agreement between the U.S. and Canada.
Reagan’s Speech
Reagan’s speech discussed his imposition of tariffs “on some Japanese products in response to Japan’s inability to enforce their trade agreement with us on electronic devices called semiconductors.”
Though that context is missing from Ontario's ad, it features Reagan saying, "Over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer," and "High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars."
Supreme Court Case On Tariff Authority Pending
Early in November, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that will decide whether Trump was legally permitted to impose broad tariffs on a number of nations, including Canada, without the approval of Congress.
Although Trump has warned a ruling against tariffs could ‘literally destroy‘ the U.S., roughly 70% of imposed tariffs would be lifted if struck down.
Read Next:
Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
