Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Wildfire Smoke Pollution

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to increase import tariffs on Canada as compensation for wildfire smoke pollution entering US territory. The pollution is considered to have cost the US economy billions of dollars due to hazardous air quality.

Trump asserted that his administration would hold Canada accountable for failing to properly maintain their forest areas against fires. He also plans to contact Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the health and environmental impacts of the polluted air crossing the border.

“I will be calling the Prime Minister this afternoon to find out what they are going to do about it,” Trump said, as reported by CNN International on Saturday (18/7/2026).

The air pollution from the wildfires has affected more than 100 million people across 18 US states, from Minnesota to Virginia.

Trump views the situation as deliberate negligence, claiming the Canadian government does not properly maintain its forests and underbrush. “We are holding Canada accountable for the fact that they do not properly maintain their forests and underbrush within them, and the United States is unnecessarily inundated with dirty, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is hazardous and completely unacceptable,” he stressed.

The threat of additional tariffs comes amid escalating trade tensions between the two countries. Although Canada was previously protected by the USMCA trade pact, the Trump administration recently decided not to renew the agreement in its current form.

“This is Deliberate Negligence, and it is an annual occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, the cost of which pollution should be added to the TARIFFS currently paid by Canada,” he added.

Canada has frequently been a target of Trump’s trade policies, particularly regarding industrial lumber and automotive sectors. With the worsening air quality in the United States, this environmental issue has now been officially linked to economic policy and import tariffs against the neighbouring country.