Anti-tariff ad was not a mistake, Ontario’s trade minister insists

Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, say Ontario’s ad featuring former U.S. President Ronald Reagan speaking against tariffs had a major impact in the U.S. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, says many people in the United States are realizing that tariffs are driving up the cost of consumer goods.

And Fedeli said Ontario’s ad featuring former U.S. President Ronald Reagan speaking against tariffs is playing a role.

Premier Doug Ford came under fire from U.S. President Donald Trump, who halted trade talks with Canada and threatened additional tariffs of 10 per cent because of the ad.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he apologized to Trump and the ads have since been pulled.

But Fedeli told reporters Friday that the message had been delivered – something he’s heard as he’s travelled the globe, including south of the border.

“In the last trips, all they talk about around the world is ‘Go Doug go,’ as they say,” he said.

“It has opened the eyes of the Americans. When they go shopping and wonder, ‘Why are my goods costing so much?’ when you buy a stove, a fridge, a washer dryer in the States right now.”

Fedeli said prices are “astronomical” because of the 50 per cent tariff on Canadian steel Trump has imposed as part of his trade war.

“We want the Americans to know that their own most beloved president, Ronald Reagan, was very clear (about) how much hurt that tariffs do to a country,” Fedeli said.

“There’s nobody else speaking in the commercial but Ronald Reagan -- in his own words -- talking about they may be good at first, and they may bring in some revenue, but then the inevitable happens.”

Fedeli said the commercials garnered 11 billion views – a fact he thinks prompted Trump to lash out.

“Don’t forget, President Trump started off by saying, ‘Hey, I saw the commercial. I would have done the same thing,’” Fedeli said.

“A few days later, he changed his tune. It’s really about the fact that he’s hearing from his citizens, his own members of Congress, his own Senate, who voted just this week to get rid of the tariffs in Canada. It took four Republicans -- his own senators -- to cross the floor and support a Democratic motion to get rid of them. All of this is a result of the power of the marketing that we’ve done in the States.”

Despite the ad’s success, he said it will still be difficult to achieve a reliable trade deal with the U.S.

“The federal government absolutely needs to get to the table and cut a trade deal,” he said.

Even if a deal is reached, he said Trump has a history of changing his mind. For example, he was the one who negotiated the current trade deal with Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

“At the time, he held it up with his famous signature, calling it the best deal ever made,” Fedeli said.

“Now all of a sudden, he’s against it. So that’s why we’re seeing so much interest in Ontario by companies around the world, including American companies who want to locate to Ontario. They know under Premier Ford, they’re going to have a stable, reliable, predictable government that follows the rule of law. That’s what makes Ontario so attractive.”