Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pushing back after President Donald Trump accused Canada of failing to properly manage its forests, calling it a “shame” that some American officials are blaming Canada for wildfire smoke.
“They have a very short memory. We had the water bombers, everyone ready going over to California. It was last year. We sent down hydro linemen down to the Carolinas and Georgia to help out. That’s what neighbors do, right?” Ford said during a press conference Saturday. “You don’t get on and start threatening and criticizing because, guess what? One day it’s going to be your turn, and we’re going to be down there without hesitation to support our neighbors, which we should be.”
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Ford’s comments came after Trump accused Canada in a Friday Truth Social post of failing to properly manage its forests and brush, saying Canada should be held responsible for smoke drifting into the United States.
“Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result. 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,” the president said in the post.
Ongoing wildfires across Canada, along with fires in northern Minnesota, have affected air quality in multiple states.
On the same day as Trump’s post, Michigan’s Republican congressional delegation — Reps. Jack Bergman, John James, Bill Huizenga, Tom Barrett, Tim Walberg and Lisa McClain — sent a letter to Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Mark Wiseman, requesting a meeting to discuss wildfire prevention and ways to better protect residents from cross-border smoke.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first year Canadian wildfire smoke has posed a threat to our state,” the lawmakers wrote. “For the past few years, our constituents have dealt with noxious wildland fire smoke that has been especially dangerous for Michiganders who are sensitive to air pollutants or those with underlying health conditions.”