The controversial anti-tariff television ad that triggered the collapse of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations and prompted a 10 per cent tariff retaliation from President Donald Trump was produced by an ad agency with deep ties to Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party, Global News has revealed.
The commercial, which featured archival footage of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan warning against the dangers of tariffs, aired twice during the World Series before being pulled from U.S. television. While it went viral internationally, the ad also caused diplomatic turmoil, with Prime Minister Mark Carney suggesting it was the sole reason the trade talks suddenly broke down.
“There were very detailed, very specific, very comprehensive discussions up until the point of those ads running,” Carney said from an international summit in Asia. “I would suggest you take the president at his word.”
Ford, however, hailed the ad as a success, calling it “the most successful ad in the history of North America,” claiming it sparked global conversation worth “three to four hundred million dollars” in free publicity.
According to Global News, the ad was produced by Creative Currency, a Toronto-based agency with longstanding financial and political ties to the Ontario PC Party. The firm was behind the party’s 2022 “Get it Done” slogan and has received over $1.7 million from the party for work including advertising, polling, and strategy.
Government spending records show Creative Currency has also been paid $872,643 by Ontario’s cabinet office and another $1.3 million by PC Caucus Services since 2022 — costs ultimately covered by taxpayers. Neither the premier’s office nor the agency responded to questions about how much the Reagan ad cost or whether it was awarded through a competitive bidding process.
While the premier’s office estimated the ad’s total cost at $75 million, Ford told the legislature the final amount would be lower due to Ontario’s decision to withdraw it early.
The commercial’s fallout was immediate. Trump accused Canada of “playing dirty,” cancelled trade negotiations, and announced a new round of tariffs on Canadian exports. In response, Ford maintained that his campaign was about “defending Ontario jobs” and insisted other premiers supported him.
“I spoke to every single premier — they’re on-side,” Ford said in the legislature. “Their exact words were: don’t stop, keep fighting for Canada.”
Reactions among Ford’s provincial counterparts were mixed. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew backed Ford’s stance, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed Ontario’s decision to suspend the ads, saying she hoped it would help “restore a free and fair trade agreement with the United States.”
Critics, however, accused Ford of reckless grandstanding. Liberal parliamentary leader John Fraser blasted the campaign, saying, “Ontarians are paying with their jobs for what you just did.”
Despite the political backlash, Ford has stood by the decision, insisting the commercial’s message — that tariffs hurt both economies — was worth the controversy. “Every outlet, small, large, and medium, in the U.S. was talking about it,” Ford said. “It got the conversation started — and that’s what leadership is about.”