President Donald Trump accused Canada on Friday of failing to properly manage its forests, calling the recurring wildfire smoke drifting into the US a “willful negligence” and warning that he could raise tariffs on Canadian imports to account for its economic impact.
Trump’s remarks came as smoke from over 900 active wildfires in Canada spread across parts of the US Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, prompting air-quality warnings in cities including Chicago, Detroit and Washington.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump blamed Canada for allowing “filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air” to spread across the US, saying the deteriorating air quality was “dangerous” and “totally unacceptable.”
He alleged that Canada had refused to carry out “basic Forest Management and Debris Removal,” despite knowing it would contribute to worsening wildfire smoke affecting the US.
Trump said he would call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the issue and what Canada planned to do in response.
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US loses billions of dollars
According to Trump, the smoke from the wildfire has become a yearly occurrence, costing the United States to lose “billions of dollars.”
He then warned that the economic cost of the pollution “must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying,” signaling that his administration could seek higher duties on Canadian imports.
Trump, however, did not specify how much the proposed tariff increase would be or how it would be implemented.
Canada did not immediately respond to his remarks.
Canada’s wildfire preparedness
Although not directly responding to Trump’s remarks, Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience Eleanor Olszewski said that Ottawa has invested C$12 billion ($8.56 billion) in forest sustainability and fire prevention since 2020.
Olszewski also highlighted the long-standing cooperation between Canada and the US in combating wildfires on both sides of the border, adding that the government’s immediate focus remains on protecting Canadians and keeping communities safe, Reuters reported.
Earlier this month, Natural Resources Canada also announced C$1.25 million ($891,106) in funding for six projects aimed at strengthening the country’s wildfire preparedness and response.
The projects include support for Métis and First Nations communities through wildfire risk mapping, emergency planning, evacuation coordination, the integration of Indigenous knowledge into wildfire management, and training for up to 38 Indigenous wildland firefighters to build local response capacity, according to Ottawa’s official government website.
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Levi Mora 
Andre Alfonso R. Gutierrez 
Mary Mae Balasanos