Trump threatens Canada with steeper tariff costs over wildfire smoke

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkSmoke from Canadian wildfires clouds the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 17 [Ken Cedeno/Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 17 Jul 202617 Jul 2026United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs against Canada, as a penalty for the wildfire smoke that has clouded cities across North America.On Friday, Trump complained about the air quality on social media, as officials in Canada continue to battle 896 active blazes across the country.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Toronto engulfed by wildfire smoke as US cities threatenedlist 2 of 3Hottest June on record in Western Europe as heatwaves hit continentlist 3 of 3Will the Canadian wildfire smoke affect the World Cup final?end of listRoughly 200 are burning in the province of Ontario, where Premier Doug Ford said 81 are still out of control. Trump, however, blamed the fires on Canadian governance.“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush,” Trump wrote.“The United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!”He pledged to call Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing the Canadian leader’s government of negligence.“The cost is incalculable,” Trump added, saying the expense would be added to existing tariffs against Canadian exports to the US.The post is the latest example of the US president wielding the threat of heightened tariffs to impose a wide range of demands on foreign countries.Since returning to the White House for a second term in January 2025, Trump has ratcheted up pressure against Canada, using tariffs as a means of pressuring the country to increase border security and change trade practices he considered unfair.Trump has also pushed Canada to cede its sovereignty and become the “51st” US state. Scientists have attributed the proliferation of wildfires across North America to a range of factors, including hot and dry conditions worsened by climate change.But the right-wing Trump has repeatedly blamed left-leaning and centrist politicians for mismanagement when powerful wildfires erupt.Trump, for example, repeatedly attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom when his state was fighting wildfires around the city of Los Angeles in 2025.He blamed the fire destruction on the state’s approach to water management and its endangered species protections.“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this,” Trump wrote at the time, though experts say his accusations had little basis in fact.During his first term, Trump also attacked California, saying that the state should have raked its forest floors to prevent wildfires.“I said, you’ve got to clean your floors. You’ve got to clean your forests,” Trump told a rally in 2020.Scientists say that multiple factors can contribute to large wildfires, including heightened heat, drought and overly repressive fire policies that prevent natural burns, resulting in overgrown landscapes.The risk of damage is also heightened by the increasing number of people living in areas where the wildlands meet urban development. In mid-July, Ontario saw its largest conflagration of the year so far, when several smaller fires merged in Wabakimi Provincial Park, destroying First Nations communities.Ford, Ontario’s premier, said on Friday morning that 10 communities had been evacuated.He thanked leaders across Canada, as well as in US states like Massachusetts and Minnesota, for providing support.“Neighbours have each other’s backs, which is why Ontario has always been there for our American partners in their time of need,” he wrote on social media.But Republicans, including Trump and US Representative Bill Huizenga of Michigan, have used the recent blazes to criticise Canada for its fire policy.“Canada’s inability to mitigate, contain, and prevent its wildfires must be addressed,” Huizenga wrote on social media on Thursday. “These annual fires significantly harm not only our health and quality of life, but also our economic prosperity.”On Friday, Trump reiterated his position that Canada’s fires could have been prevented through debris removal.“Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result,” Trump wrote.“This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”The wildfire smoke has prompted concerns about the viability of hosting the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey this weekend.But the Trump administration itself has faced pushback over its wildfire preparedness.The New York Times reported on Friday that the Trump administration had slashed funding for wildfire research, including laboratories that study the effects of wildfire smoke on human health.