President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke that has spread across large parts of the United States, arguing that Ottawa should bear the economic cost of air pollution from hundreds of active fires that have affected more than 100 million Americans.
The comments, posted on Truth Social, open a new point of tension in the U.S.-Canada relationship as both countries contend with another severe wildfire season. Trump's remarks came as unhealthy air blanketed portions of the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, prompting air-quality alerts in several major cities and renewed concerns over the growing cross-border impact of wildfires.
Trump said he intends to discuss the issue directly with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney while accusing Canada of failing to adequately manage its forests.
"We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!" Trump wrote.
The president also argued that Canada had ignored basic forest management practices despite repeated wildfire seasons affecting the United States.
"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," Trump said.
Canadian officials had not publicly responded to the tariff threat at the time of publication.
According to ABC News, smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has affected more than 100 million people across more than a dozen U.S. states. The Associated Press reported that millions of residents in the Great Lakes region, the Northeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic experienced unhealthy air conditions on Friday as smoke continued drifting south from Canada.
The active fire zones include large areas of Ontario as well as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, where U.S. authorities temporarily closed public access because of wildfire risks. Reports indicated that more than 100 wildfires remained active across Canada during the week, with atmospheric conditions expected to keep transporting smoke into the United States through at least Saturday.
Air-quality alerts have been issued in multiple metropolitan areas, including:
- New York.
- Chicago.
- Toronto.
- Other communities across the Great Lakes and Northeastern United States.
Public health officials have urged residents, particularly children, older adults and people with respiratory conditions, to remain indoors when possible and reduce outdoor activity during periods of elevated smoke concentrations.
The latest episode comes amid growing scientific concern over the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfire smoke exposure in North America. According to Climate Central, the average annual exposure to harmful wildfire smoke in the United States during 2020 through 2024 was four times higher than the average recorded between 2006 and 2019.
Axios, citing climate researchers, reported that human-induced climate change has increased the likelihood and intensity of wildfires, although scientists caution it is too early to attribute any single wildfire outbreak directly to climate change. Researchers have also warned that continued drying of North American forests is expected to increase wildfire risk in future years.
Canadian authorities have acknowledged that this year's wildfire season has been intensified in part by hotter and drier conditions. In 2024, Canada introduced the Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy as part of a broader effort to strengthen wildfire prevention and response.
