Trump Demands Canada Bear Wildfire Smoke Costs Through Import Tariffs
US President Donald Trump on Friday proposed that the cost of air pollution caused by wildfires in Canada be incorporated into the import tariffs imposed on the country. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) has recorded 888 active wildfires across the country, with more than 3,600 fires having occurred since the start of 2026, burning an area of 2.8 million hectares.
“We are asking Canada to take responsibility because they do not properly maintain their forests and scrubland. As a result, the United States is constantly battered by dirty, polluted, and unhealthy air, with hazardous quality that is completely unacceptable,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform. Trump assessed the situation as a form of deliberate negligence that has become an annual event costing the United States billions of dollars.
“This is deliberate negligence and has become an annual occurrence costing the United States billions of dollars. The cost of this pollution should rightly be added to the tariffs currently paid by Canada,” he said. Trump also stated he would speak with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later that day to discuss the measures the Canadian government would take to address the issue.
Massive forest and land fires in Canada have been reported to affect neighbouring countries. The US capital, Washington D.C., was shrouded in thick haze on Thursday, as reported by a correspondent from the RIA Novosti news agency. The Washington city government issued a “red” category air quality alert, advising children, the elderly, and residents with a history of heart or lung disease to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical activity.
Air conditions in Washington and surrounding areas such as Maryland and Virginia were still monitored as normal on Thursday evening, but thick smoke began blanketing the region before dawn on Friday. The situation was exacerbated by a heatwave that increased health risks, with temperatures in Washington expected to reach 97 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 36 degrees Celsius) on Friday. Besides Washington, smoke from the Canadian wildfires had previously covered the skies of New York and Boston, whilst air quality in Chicago was reported to be deteriorating.