Cross-posted from https://lemmy.ca/post/54113886

Canadian officials may have said they were caught off guard last week when U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was cutting off trade negotiations with Canada over Ontario’s anti-tariff advertisement, but sources say Premier Doug Ford’s bad cop act— and tough words for Trump — has been an irritant.

Two sources with knowledge of the talks said the Americans had warned Canadians “for months” that the Ontario premier’s comments were troubling to the Trump administration.

Ford, who in recent weeks has called Trump a “tyrant” and vowed to not “let him roll over Ontario,” had been an ardent critic of the American president, with his comments ramping up in recent weeks as vehicle manufacturers, including Stellantis and General Motors, slow Canadian production.