
In response to a political ad produced and distributed at a cost of $75 million by Ontario premier Doug Ford’s government, US president Donald Trump terminated all trade negotiations with the entire nation of Canada.
The ad, featuring former president Ronald Reagan speaking on the subject of tariffs (on April 25, 1987) was edited in such a way as to completely distort and misrepresent Reagan’s original comments in full context. It was an attempt by the Ford government to imply that Reagan and Trump held opposite views on tariffs and free trade, when in fact their stated views were identical.
Worse, as Trump observed, the release of the fraudulent ads occurred in conjunction with pending US supreme court decisions regarding a president’s authority to impose tariffs. This was the very issue originally addressed by Reagan when he gave his speech.
Why a provincial politician like Doug Ford would interfere in American politics is a question no doubt being considered by the Trump administration. Ford faces no immediate election prospects himself, though his government is planning to abandon the idea of fixed election periods altogether. Continue reading »







