A host of goods from Canada will soon be subject to a new 10% tariff in the U.S., on top of a 35% tariff already in place.
The new tariff act was announced by President Trump, who also made a point to announce that “all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated.”
The President was reported to be incensed over the use of audio remarks originally made in 1987 that showed then-President Ronald Reagan criticizing the use of tariffs. The remarks were reproduced by the government of Ontario and then broadcast during the Saturday evening World Series face-off between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Trump called the clip deceptive, remarking: “The sole purpose of this fraud was Canada’s hope that the United States Supreme Court will come to their rescue on tariffs that they have used for years to hurt the United States.”
The Reagan except revealed the 40th President remarking that “over the long run,” trade barriers “hurt every American worker and consumer.”
The Ronald Reagan President Foundation and Institute has since taken to task use of the except, declaring in a statement that it “misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade dated April 25, 1987.”
In that address, Reagan was attempting to explain why he had recently imposed tariffs on Japanese semiconductors, saying that his action was a singular one, while arguing in a larger sense that “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars.”
The new Trump-imposed Canadian tariffs, notes the New York Times, may have a sweeping effect with “prices for home appliances, cars, and auto parts” all impacted.
In response, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declined to specially address Trump’s complaints, saying instead that “Canada and the United States are friends, neighbors, and allies.”
But Ford appeared to support use of the Reagan radio clip by remarking, “President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together.”
In a separate post, Ford declared, “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. We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels.”
Trade negotiations that have been quietly taking place between U.S. and Canadian representatives for the last two weeks. When those negotiations will resume in the wake of Trump’s announcement is anyone’s guess.
October 27, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
