The issue of whether the prime minister and his chief of staff were aware of and endorsed an Ontario government anti-tariff advertisement that provoked U.S. President Donald Trump accompanied Mark Carney to Singapore on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister’s Office declined to provide further comments on the TV ad, which triggered the breakdown of sectoral trade discussions with the United States last week.
A senior federal official, speaking on background, continued to attribute the marketing campaign to the government of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, despite the prime minister’s statement that Ottawa is leading the negotiations.
“The decision to run this ad was made by the Ontario government, and the federal government was not involved in its creation or distribution,” stated the official.
Regarding this, Ford defended the decision on Monday, confirming that the prime minister and his senior advisors had reviewed the ad before it was aired.
“He and his chief of staff saw the ad before its release,” Ford informed reporters at Queen’s Park. “They both viewed it, and we proceeded with it.”
Ford asserted that the TV spot achieved its goal of raising awareness among Americans about the impact of tariffs.
“Mission accomplished,” Ford declared. “It was successful. People are discussing it in the U.S., which wasn’t happening before.”
Responding to inquiries at the conclusion of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday regarding whether Trump’s cancellation of trade talks was directly caused by the ad, which cited a speech by former U.S. president Ronald Reagan from forty years ago, Carney advised, “I recommend taking the president’s stated reasons at face value.”
The prime minister emphasized that ultimately, the federal government dictates the terms of engagement with the United States.
“I want to reiterate that it is the responsibility of the Canadian government to conduct these negotiations,” Carney stated. “Others may have opinions, and we