Washington, D.C. [US], July 20 (ANI): US President Donald Trump said he has spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney regarding the cross-border spread of wildfire smoke, urging Ottawa to take stronger measures to contain the fires or face potential economic penalties.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said he directly pressed the Canadian leadership to address the environmental impact spilling across the border.
“I told them. I mean, you got to stop these fires from coming in and, you know, poisoning our air. Our air has been poisoned,” Trump said.
The US president said that despite strong bilateral ties, Washington expects accountability or financial compensation if the wildfire smoke continues to affect the United States.
“I have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but, you know, we got to stop the fires up there. If we can help them, we’ll help them. But maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs,” he added.
The warning follows recent White House statements linking Canadian forest management to potential trade penalties, with Trump previously accusing Ottawa of failing to curb hazardous air pollution.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump blamed Canadian authorities for declining air quality across multiple US metropolitan areas.
“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!” he wrote.
Trump further accused Canadian authorities of “willful negligence” in managing forests and clearing brush, arguing that the persistent influx of wildfire smoke has caused significant economic damage in the United States.
“The cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the tariffs Canada is currently paying,” Trump stated.
The diplomatic tensions come as smoke from hundreds of active wildfires in Canada continues to drift south, prompting public health alerts across several US states.
According to data released Friday by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 888 wildfires were active nationwide, with a significant majority classified as out of control.
Ontario remains among the hardest-hit provinces, reporting more than 190 active fires. The resulting smoke has significantly degraded air quality in states including Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York.
Global air quality monitoring company IQAir reported that Detroit recorded the world’s worst air quality on Friday, followed by Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York.
Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa and Washington share a mutual responsibility to address broader climate challenges, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford called on the US administration to provide additional firefighting resources rather than criticize Canada’s wildfire response. (ANI)
About The Author
