Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a campaign stop at Walker Construction in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, January 31, 2025.
Carlos Osorio | Reuters
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday that his province will pause airing ads featuring former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs after World Series games this weekend so that trade talks between Canada and the United States can resume.
Ford’s announcement on X came a day after President Donald Trump terminated trade negotiations with Canada because of the ad.
Ford said he had spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney before deciding to pause the ad, effective Monday, “so that trade talks can resume.”
Trump, in cancelling those talks, on Thursday cited claims by The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute that the ad misrepresents Reagan’s radio address speech from April 25, 1987, and that the remarks were edited without permission.
“Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford said of the ad, which has aired in U.S. markets.
“We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels,” Ford said. “I’ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games.”
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