Canada is running a billboard campaign in the United States against President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Canadian government has purchased billboards across a dozen states and Washington, D.C., that carry the message: “Tariffs are a tax.” The campaign began after Trump in February threatened Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs.
Global Affairs Canada spokesman John Babcock said that the billboards are part of an “educational campaign to inform Americans” about the costs of tariffs, according to Michigan’s MLive.
“Tariffs are a tax on hard-working Americans in their daily lives. They lead to increased costs on everyday essentials, including fuel and groceries,” Babcock said in a statement.
Last month, Trump imposed sweeping 25% tariffs on Canadian goods with exceptions for those goods negotiated under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Canadian energy received a lower 10% tariff.
Last week, Trump announced more tariffs on dozens of countries in a special Rose Garden event billed by the White House as “Liberation Day.” The tariffs to be implemented against each country were calculated with a simple formula of a country’s trade deficit divided by its exports to the United States. That number was then divided in half to arrive at the tariff rate that Trump would be implementing.
“Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” Trump said during the announcement. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”
“[T]he United States administration announced a series of unwarranted and unjustified tariffs that will fundamentally change the international trading system. While some important elements of the Canada U.S. trade relationship have been preserved, new tariffs on automobiles have now entered into force. These are on top of the previously announced tariffs, including those on steel and aluminum, which remain in place,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said in a statement after the announcement of the “Liberation Day” tariff rates.
“The U.S. tariffs will do harm to American workers and businesses, but Canada will also be impacted, with every Canadian feeling the effects. The Government of Canada’s position has always been clear: we will fight these tariffs, protect our workers, and build the strongest economy in the G7,” the statement continued.
