Gyeongju, South Korea – November 1, 2025
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed he personally apologized to former US President Donald Trump over a controversial anti-tariff advertisement produced in Ontario, which has severely strained US–Canada trade talks.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, Carney acknowledged the ad had “offended” Trump and reiterated Canada’s commitment to managing its relationship with its largest trading partner.

“I did apologise to the president. The president was offended,” Carney said. “I’m the one who’s responsible, in my role as prime minister, for our relationship with the president of the United States… So, things happen – we take the good with the bad – and I apologised.”

The Controversial Ontario Ad

The advertisement, created by the Canadian province of Ontario, featured clips of former US President Ronald Reagan warning that tariffs could trigger “fierce trade wars” and rising unemployment. While the footage was authentic, its sequence was altered in a way that Washington claims misrepresented Reagan’s views.

The Trump administration argued the ad was an attempt to influence a pending US Supreme Court case regarding Trump’s tariff policies. The commercial prompted the suspension of trade talks and an additional 10 percent tariff on Canadian goods after the ad was not immediately removed from US broadcasts.

Trump later commented on the apology, saying:

“I have a very good relationship, I like him a lot – but you know, what they did was wrong. He [Carney] was very nice, he apologised for what they did with the commercial because it was a false commercial. It was the exact opposite; Ronald Reagan loved tariffs and they tried to make it look the other way.”

US–Canada Trade Context

The US and Canada share the world’s longest land border, with bilateral trade totaling $761.8 billion in 2024, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. Relations between the two countries have been increasingly tense over the past year amid Trump’s global tariffs campaign.

Experts note that while the apology may ease personal tensions between leaders, the broader trade conflict is rooted in longstanding disputes over tariffs, market access, and regulatory differences.

“Canada is trying to navigate a delicate balance: maintaining strong economic ties while defending its policy and provincial initiatives,” said trade analyst Rebecca Lin of the University of Toronto.

The incident highlights how political messaging, even when involving historical figures like Reagan, can have significant ramifications on international trade negotiations.