Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on October 24, 2025, that his government will pause a controversial anti-tariff advertisement in the United States starting Monday. The ad, which aired over the weekend including during the Major League Baseball World Series, featured quotes from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs and was funded by the Ontario government. It had drawn sharp criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the ad as “FAKE” and “egregious,” and subsequently terminated trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S.

The decision to halt the campaign came after Ford’s discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, signaling a desire to reopen dialogue between Ottawa and Washington. “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 in a message on the social platform X. He added that the ads would continue to run through the weekend to maximize exposure before the pause takes effect.

The commercial repurposed highlights from Reagan’s 1987 speech, in which Reagan argued that tariffs “sometimes seem effective, but only temporarily,” aimed at illustrating the damaging long-term effects of tariffs on economies and workers. The Ronald Reagan Foundation publicly stated that the ad misrepresented Reagan’s words, adding a layer of controversy to the already tense trade standoff.

Trump’s reaction was swift and severe, accusing Canada of trying to influence the upcoming US Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his tariff regime. This ruling, expected in November, could decide the fate of tariffs affecting imports from Canada and Mexico, particularly those imposed as part of Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs on goods linked to fentanyl trafficking and immigration control.

Trade experts and political observers believe the advertisement was more than just a campaign tool—it became a symbol of wider geopolitical tensions, with Canada pushing back against U.S. protectionism, while Trump leveraged the issue for broader political and economic goals. Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, criticized Trump’s tariff policies as coercive.

The Ontario government’s expenditure on this campaign, estimated at $75 million, underscores the high stakes of the ongoing trade conflict. For businesses and workers on both sides of the border, the ad’s fallout has real economic implications, impacting industries like automotive manufacturing, where production adjustments and tariffs have already strained relationships.