Canada Baffled by Trump's Threat to Impose 'Wildfire Tariffs'

Canada has strongly pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks that he would impose tariffs on Canada to cover the costs of air pollution caused by wildfires.

Canada argues that it did not hesitate to help extinguish fires when the United States suffered from wildfires in California last year, yet the U.S. is now threatening to impose tariffs on Canada when it is facing wildfires of its own.

CNN reported that Ontario Premier Doug Ford pointed out on the 18th (local time), "We sent all our equipment and personnel to California to help fight the wildfires last year," adding, "It was only last year, and it seems the U.S. has forgotten all about it."

Premier Ford defined helping with wildfire suppression as "what neighbors do," and criticized the U.S., saying, "It is regrettable that the U.S. is blaming us."

He continued by emphasizing, "Your turn will come someday," and added, "We will still rush to the scene and help our neighbors without hesitation when that time comes."

President Trump previously claimed that he would hold Canada accountable as smoke from wildfires engulfing the country crossed the border and spread to the U.S. Midwest and East Coast.

He stated that polluted air is entering the U.S. because Canada is not properly managing its forests, adding, "We should add the cost of air pollution to the tariffs Canada is currently paying."

Canada is currently suffering from over 800 wildfires across the country, with 191 of them occurring in Ontario alone.

Refuting President Trump's remarks about imposing air pollution costs for Canadian wildfires, Premier Ford added, "Americans love Canadians, and Canadians love Americans."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.