Prime Minister Mark Carney personally phoned Ontario Premier Doug Ford “a couple of times” from Asia to urge him to take down a controversial provincial ad campaign that U.S. officials have blamed for stalling trade talks, Ford confirmed Monday.
The now-suspended ad featured vintage footage of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan condemning tariffs—imagery that American leaders, including President Donald Trump, reportedly found offensive. Within days of its release, Trump cut off trade negotiations with Canada and threatened a fresh 10 per cent tariff on Canadian exports.
Ford said Carney called him more than once asking for the ads to be pulled, but the premier refused to act immediately.
“He called me from Asia a couple of times and said, ‘Pull the ad,’ and I said I wasn’t going to do it until Monday—and that’s exactly what we did,” Ford said after Question Period at Queen’s Park.
Carney, speaking over the weekend, said he had cautioned the Ontario government against running the ad and later apologized to President Trump for the diplomatic fallout. Ford said he was not advised in advance of the apology.
While Carney’s office has avoided commenting on the details of their conversations, a spokesperson stated the prime minister “remains focused on re-engaging with the U.S. administration to secure a deal that benefits workers and businesses on both sides of the border.”
Despite the controversy, Ford defended the campaign, claiming it reached a staggering 12.4 billion views and even swayed a U.S. Senate resolution against tariffs.
“Four Republicans switched sides after talking about the ad,” Ford told the legislature. “It’s making a massive, massive difference.”
The provincial government initially planned to spend $75 million to keep the ad running through the winter. With its early withdrawal, the final cost is expected to be “much less,” though no updated figure has been released.
Trade negotiations between Canada and the United States remain on hold. Ottawa says it is ready to resume discussions “at any time.”