Canadian PM Carney apologises to Trump over anti-tariff advert

Carney said he told Trump the commercial was "not something I would have done"

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that he has apologised to US President Donald Trump over an anti-tariff advertisement that quoted Ronald Reagan.

Trump suspended trade talks with Canada and said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports in response to the advert last week.

"I did apologise to the president," Carney told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit in South Korea on Saturday.

The advert used a series of clips from former President Reagan's 1987 national radio address, in which he argued that tariffs would hurt America's economy.

"Such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer," Reagan said in the speech.

Carney said the advert - which was funded by the province of Ontario - was "not something I would have done" and that Trump was "offended" by it.

Trump said on Friday that Carney had apologised to him and added that the two had a "very good" relationship. But, he said, "what he did was wrong".

Carney said that Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, who was responsible for the advert, had shown him the clip beforehand and he advised Ford not to go forward with it.

The advert aired during the first two World Series baseball games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ford said the TV spot had garnered "one billion views" as well as attention from as far as the UK and India.

The advert reportedly led to an "expletive-laced tirade" between US envoy Pete Hoekstra and Ontario trade representative David Paterson.

Ford said Hoekstra had made remarks that were "absolutely unacceptable" and said he needed to call Paterson to apologise.

Since taking office, Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on a host of nations, including Canada.

The US has a 35% tariff on Canadian goods, though most are exempt under an existing free trade agreement. Certain sectors, however, have separate tariffs, including 50% on steel and aluminium and 25% on automobiles, which have particularly hurt Ontario.

Trump has accused Canada of using the advert to interfere in an upcoming US Supreme Court case that will weigh whether the president's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China and dozens of other countries are legal.