President Donald Trump has launched a fresh criticism at Canada, blaming the northern neighbor for the thick wildfire smoke that’s been drifting across the United States. He suggested that the “countless expenses” of addressing this environmental issue would be tacked onto the existing tariffs on Canadian imports.
Thick plumes generated by hundreds of Canadian wildfires have shrouded wide stretches of the U.S., stretching from the Midwest to the Northeast, leading authorities to advise residents to remain indoors for their safety.
Trump, known for his contentious rapport with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, announced plans to contact the Canadian leader. His goal: to address what he deems an “utterly unacceptable” situation and to question the measures Canada intends to implement.
“We are holding Canada responsible for not properly maintaining their forests,” Trump expressed via a post on his Truth Social platform. “America is facing an invasion of polluted, filthy, and unhealthy air without any fault of its own.”
He went on to accuse Canada of “willful negligence,” labeling the recurring event as a grave issue for the United States, one that drains billions from the nation. Consequently, Trump suggested these environmental costs would likely be reflected in increased tariffs imposed on Canadian goods.
Climate experts, however, say higher temperatures have led to drier forests and more wildfires in recent years. Canada has one of the world’s largest forests.
“As our climate warms, we’re seeing more conducive hot, dry, windy, more extreme weather, and we’re going to see more fire,” said Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia.
Shortly after taking office in 2025, Trump imposed tariffs on several key imports from Canada.
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carney said on Thursday the United States could do more to combat climate change that is leading to warmer and more extreme temperatures around the world.
The two men are likely to meet at the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on Monday.
Many blazes this year are in the giant province of Ontario and are concentrated in the remote and sparsely populated northwest, where the only mode of transport is plane.
So far, 27,830 square kilometres of forest have burned in Canada this year.
Thousands of people have been evacuated.
‘Nothing remaining’
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, in northwestern Ontario was burned to the ground, forcing residents to evacuate by boat and seek shelter in Thunder Bay, Matthew Hoppe, the community’s incident commander, told the Reuters news agency.
“There was nothing remaining. So as you can imagine, the membership is totally distraught, upset, overwhelmed, lost,” Hoppe said.
Thunder Bay, a city of about 110,000 people on the northern shore of Lake Superior more than 1,300km northwest of Toronto, is at full capacity from sheltering wildfire evacuees from across northwestern Ontario, Mayor Ken Boshcoff said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday said the province would buy 11 new aircraft to help counter the fast-spreading wildfires and pushed back against US politicians who have criticised the campaign as inadequate.
The United States is also experiencing an above-average fire year, with nearly 15,000 square km burned to date in 2026, compared with a 10-year average of around 11,000 square km, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Rising global temperatures driven by greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels are making wildfire conditions more severe.