Soot from hundreds of Canadian wildfires blanketed a dozen US states on Friday, prompting government warnings for millions of Americans to stay indoors – and triggering a blistering threat from Donald Trump to impose new tariffs on Canada. The US president accused Ottawa of “willful negligence” over the fires, which have cast an orange haze over New York City and left much of the northern US covered by a blanket of smoke.
“The United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, vowing to call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand an explanation. He claimed Canada was “not properly maintaining” its forests and brush. Fellow Republicans have used the crisis to revive Trump’s suggestion that Canada become the 51st US state – a notion that has offended Canadians and prompted many to stop travelling to the US in protest. Others online called for a delay in opening the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a Canada-funded project connecting Ontario to Michigan.
“Trump threatens new tariffs on Canada as wildfire smoke chokes US cities, despite Canadian officials urging cooperation.”
As of Saturday, nearly 955 fires were actively burning across Canada, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, with the majority out of control. More than 190 blazes were burning in Ontario alone, some also out of control. Nearly 3 million hectares of land have already been destroyed. Scientists say that burning fossil fuels is driving the kind of climate change that is triggering wildfires sweeping through parts of Europe and North America, with fires burning faster and stronger than ever before.
Trump’s threat came after Ontario Premier Doug Ford asked the US to send support to fight the fires rather than complain. In response, Carney’s emergency management cabinet minister, Eleanor Olszewski, said the two countries remain in constant contact and share a long history of working together on such disasters, citing a reciprocal fire-fighting agreement from 1982 and another assistance agreement that emerged from the 2025 G7 summit. “This is a challenge that knows no borders, and Canada is working with speed, collaboration and coordination to keep people safe,” she added. Canada has invested about C$12bn ($8.5bn; £6.4bn) in forest sustainability and fire prevention, Olszewski said. Carney earlier noted that it was the responsibility of both countries to fight climate change.
Relations between the US and Canada have been tense for over a year, mostly due to trade. Last year, Trump imposed tariffs on Canada – a country that had enjoyed decades of free trade with the US – and both countries have still yet to reach a trade deal. With smoke drifting south and political tempers flaring, the question now is whether the fires will burn through more than just forests.
