Ontario Premier To Trump: Stop Wildfire Insults And Help Your Friends

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday shot back at President Donald Trump’s threat to impose additional tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke, calling it “rubbish” that drives him “crazy.”

Ford said Canadians, including from his province, have helped Americans battle wildfires in places such as California and Minnesota in recent years, and suggested that Trump should return the favor by sending water bombers up to Canada.

“With all the assets the U.S. has, and he's sitting there complaining. Why don't you send up some water bombers? Why don't you start helping us, like we would help you in a heartbeat?” Ford said at a press conference in Toronto.

The response is the sharpest to come from Canada since Trump complained last week about wildfire smoke from north of the border dulling the skies of several American states and threatened tariffs if Prime Minister Mark Carney didn’t do something about it.

“Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal,” Trump posted Friday on Truth Social. “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.”

He repeated his complaint Sunday, when Carney was in New Jersey with him for the World Cup final.

Carney has held his powder, while lauding the efforts of emergency response workers.

But not Ford, who has never been shy about adopting his Captain Canada persona and speaking out against the president for imposing tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber and other products.

Ford said he gets “frustrated” listening to what he called “a bunch of rubbish.”

“You should support your neighbors. That's my message to the president,” he said. “Sorry to go on a little rant, but it drives me crazy.”

Ford pointed to his “incredible relationship” with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who ran against Trump as a vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket in 2024, as an example of a productive partnership.

Walz called Ford to assist YMCA campers stranded at a lake, the premier said, and he responded by sending Ontario Provincial Police to accompany Canadian Armed Forces to assist. Canadians have also sent waterbombers to battle California blazes in recent years and sent utility workers and other disaster specialists to the American southeast in 2024 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Ford noted.

Ford is bound for Prince Edward Island for a meeting with Carney and his fellow provincial premiers this week. He said he plans to make advocating for a national wildfire strategy a top priority at the meeting.

“We need the support from the federal government. They've been very good. They've given us two Dash-8 planes to spray the fire retardant down. But we need a large national fire strategy. We seem to be going through this every single year,” Ford said, pointing not only to the fires raging in his province’s north, but also to past blazes in western Canada.

On Sunday, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said on the social media site X he was “proud” of the fact that Canadian firefighters helped battle the blazes in his state in 2025 and 2020, branding Trump’s tariff comments as “the threats and ramblings of a failing leader.”

“When California was burning, Canada sent fire fighters, planes and assistance — not insults,” Schiff wrote, adding: “We should show some humanity.”