Financial Times corrects report on Canadian ad campaign after misidentifying Ottawa as the source
The Financial Times has corrected an article published on October 25 that misidentified the Canadian government in Ottawa as the source of a US television advertising campaign criticising President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The campaign was, in fact, launched by the province of Ontario.
The correction was issued on October 29, stating:
“The Canadian province that launched a US television advertising campaign critical of President Donald Trump’s tariffs was Ontario, not Ottawa as stated in an article on October 25.”
The original article, “Trump clears way for new China tariffs and hits out at Canada,” reported on Trump’s escalating trade tensions with both China and Canada. It suggested that the federal government in Ottawa had aired the controversial advertisement that drew Trump’s ire and prompted him to abruptly freeze trade talks with Canada.
In reality, the ad campaign was spearheaded by the Ontario provincial government under Premier Doug Ford, not by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s federal administration. The misattribution implied that Canada’s national government had directly provoked a diplomatic row, when the move was actually a regional initiative, albeit one that carried significant cross-border political consequences.
The ad, which aired on US networks, featured audio from former US president Ronald Reagan warning against tariffs. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation criticised Ontario’s use of the clip, saying it had been “misrepresented” and that permission had not been sought. Ford later said the ad would be withdrawn after the weekend, though he claimed it had “achieved its goal of starting a conversation.”
By contrast, Carney’s federal government had been attempting to stabilise relations with Washington amid volatile trade negotiations. The FT’s initial framing risked conflating provincial and federal roles, suggesting an official diplomatic act rather than a politically charged publicity campaign.