“This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the US should add the costs associated with Canadian wildfire smoke to existing tariffs on Canada, criticizing the country for failing to manage the natural disaster properly.
“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!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday.
Trump said he planned to speak with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later in the day.
“I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it. The cost is incalculable! Canada has refused to engage in basic Forest Management and Debris Removal, knowing that such refusal will lead to exactly this result. This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
Carney alluded to criticism of Canada’s handling of the wildfires while speaking with reporters on Thursday in French, arguing that the two countries have different approaches to the environment.
"Each of us has his own responsibility. At the moment, we're emphasizing investment in clean energy, but in the US, there are modes of production which are working against clean energy,” Carney said. “Canada is pursuing their efforts on the world scale, whereas the United States are reducing their footprint worldwide.”
As of Friday, more than 100 million people are experiencing air quality alerts, according to a report by NBC News. Smoke from the wildfires in Canada and Minnesota has affected major areas, including Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and others. This has also prompted concerns regarding the World Cup final on Sunday in New Jersey.
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