Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed on Saturday that he had apologized to President Trump this week. The apology came after a controversial anti-tariff television advertisement, aired by a Canadian province, prompted the American leader to abruptly halt discussions on U.S. tariffs impacting steel, aluminum, and other Canadian products.
Speaking to reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Mr. Carney explained that the apology took place during a dinner where he and Mr. Trump were seated opposite each other. This occurred shortly after the president had stated he had no interest in speaking with Mr. Carney for an extended period.
The commercial, which ignited Mr. Trump’s anger, was financed by the province of Ontario. It featured clips from a 1987 speech by President Ronald Reagan, where he warned about the economic dangers of tariffs. Although Mr. Trump labeled the ad, shown in the United States during World Series games, as fraudulent, it accurately presented Mr. Reagan’s remarks, albeit with a modified sequence.
Furthermore, President Trump asserted that the advertisement was designed to “interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court,” which is currently reviewing a legal challenge against several of his tariffs.
Beyond ending trade negotiations—talks that Canadian officials believed were gaining momentum after an early October White House meeting between the two leaders—Mr. Trump also announced plans to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Canadian exports.
“The president was clearly offended by the ad,” Mr. Carney told reporters as he prepared to return to Canada after a week in Asia. “It’s not something I would have done—to run that advertisement—and so I offered my apology to him.”
Earlier, Mr. Trump had described his conversation with the Canadian leader at the Wednesday dinner, hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Mr. Trump’s honor, as “very nice.”
When pressed on Mr. Trump’s reaction to the apology, Mr. Carney stated, “I spoke to him at the dinner privately.” He reiterated that the gathering, attended by six other world leaders, was “very good, very cordial.”
On Saturday, Mr. Carney also revealed that Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario and the individual behind the contentious ad, had shown him the commercial beforehand. Mr. Carney confirmed he had advised the provincial leader against airing it.
“I told him that for Canadians, it was time to speak, to discuss, to negotiate with the Americans,” Mr. Carney said in French. “Mr. Ford made his own decision; he is independent and can do as he wishes. But it wasn’t precisely useful.”
Mr. Carney reiterated his long-held stance that trade relations and foreign policy fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of the federal government, which he leads.
Despite this, Mr. Ford maintained on Monday that he had done nothing wrong and defended the advertisements, though he ultimately withdrew them from broadcast.
“We sparked a conversation that wasn’t happening in the U.S.,” Mr. Ford asserted. “Now every local, large, and medium-sized media outlet in the U.S. is discussing it.”
Even though it disrupted negotiations, Mr. Ford’s ad campaign garnered support from many Canadians, including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
“I believe it’s beneficial that President Trump is made uncomfortable and reminded that Republicans and Mr. Reagan were unequivocally against tariffs,” Mr. Kinew remarked to reporters earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, announced his province’s intention to proceed with its own anti-tariff advertisements targeting American audiences.
Mr. Carney chose not to comment on the other premiers’ strategies but indicated his belief that trade discussions would eventually resume.
“We’ll simply wait until they are ready,” he concluded.