Trump Warns of Tariffs on Canada Over Wildfire Smoke Choking US
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) warned against increasing tariffs on Canada, accusing Ottawa of failing to properly manage its forests and prevent wildfire smoke from affecting air quality in American cities.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. was being affected by what he described as “dirty, polluted, and unhealthy air” from wildfires in Canada, and that the cost of the pollution would be added to the tariffs currently imposed on Canada.
“We hold Canada responsible for their failure to properly maintain and scrub their forests and for the needless invasion of the United States by filthy, polluted and unhealthy air whose quality is dangerous and completely unacceptable!” Trump said.
The US President said he would talk to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the issue and learn details about the steps taken by Canada.
“I will call the Prime Minister within the day to find out what they will do about this. The cost is incalculable!” Trump added.
The US President also accused Canada of refusing to take forest management and debris removal measures, calling it “willful negligence” and claiming that the problem had become an annual occurrence, causing the US to lose billions of dollars.
“The cost of this pollution must necessarily be added to the tariffs Canada currently pays,” he added.
The remarks come as wildfire smoke from hundreds of active fires in Canada continues to drift into parts of the United States, affecting air quality in many states.
Smoke from nearly 850 active wildfires in Canada, including more than 180 in Ontario, has moved south, prompting air quality alerts in more than 20 U.S. states stretching from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast, according to NASA.
Meanwhile, more than 150 wildfires have been reported in the U.S., including several in Michigan, according to Politico. Experts have warned that fine particles carried by wildfire smoke pose health risks, especially for children, the elderly and people with existing health problems.
Politico reported that the wildfires raging in eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest were caused by a recent record-breaking heat wave that affected parts of North America, creating favorable conditions for fires to spread.
