🔗 Share this article Ontario Leader Demands Apology from US Envoy After Tariff Dispute Ontario Premier the provincial leader has demanded a public apology from the American envoy to Canada after a heated conversation between the representative and the province's commerce official. The encounter, characterized as an “expletive-laced tirade”, occurred between US envoy the ambassador and Ontario trade representative the commerce delegate concerning a TV commercial that criticized trade policies. Labeling the remarks “absolutely unacceptable” and “unfitting for an diplomat”, the premier urged the envoy to make amends. “Pete, you have to call Dave up and say sorry. It's simple,” Ford stated. Last week, negotiations with the Canadian government were suspended because of the advertisement, with threats of an extra ten percent duty on goods from Canada. “Understand, the cheese slipped off the cracker. I understand,” Ford said at a press conference, referring to Hoekstra's reaction. “You're ticked off, but call the guy up because you're reasonable, and Dave's my champion.” The advertisement, paid for by the Ontario government, includes a statement from former President Reagan saying tariffs “damage American interests”, taking excerpts from the former president’s 1987 national radio address focused on foreign trade. The premier wanted to use the commercial to influence public opinion on tariffs in conservative, Trump-backed areas. The premier has stated the ad achieved “over one billion impressions” and been seen by a global audience. “What should I have done? Sit back and roll over like others in the world?” he questioned. The advertisement also aired during the initial championship matches between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which Ford hailed as “the most successful ad in continental history”. “It's being discussed in the US, and they weren’t talking about it before I launched the campaign,” he noted. However, the campaign has angered several in the administration, especially President Donald Trump who warned to hike duties on Canada by ten percent “over and above” existing taxes after Ford’s action. When questioned to expand on what the extra duties would involve, the president responded, “I don’t know when it’s going to kick in, and we’ll see, but I don’t really want to discuss it”. There is currently a thirty-five percent duty on Canadian goods, though the majority are excluded under an existing commerce pact. Certain sectors, though, have individual duties, such as fifty percent on steel and aluminium and 25% on vehicles. On that day, the US senate voted to pass a measure that would block Trump’s tariffs on Canada. The 50-46 vote would end the national emergency used to impose tariffs on certain products from Canada. But the proposal is unlikely to receive the backing needed in the US House of Representatives.