Canada issues air quality warnings over US wildfire smoke after Trump tariff threat

Parts of Canada are now dealing with smoky air caused by wildfires burning in the United States. Officials in British Columbia issued air quality warnings on Saturday after smoke from fires in Washington and Oregon drifted north. This comes days after President Donald Trump blamed Canada for sending dirty smoke into American cities and threatened it with tariffs — taxes placed on traded goods.

The British Columbia wildfire service said thousands of lightning strikes helped start and spread many of the fires in the north-west US. "Much of this smoke is originating from fires south of the Canada-US border in Washington and Oregon," officials said. Air quality warnings are in place for two areas near the US border: Kootenay Lake and Cranbrook. Twenty-two large fires are currently burning across Washington and Oregon alone.

Last Friday, President Trump posted on social media that the US had been "invaded" by dirty air from Canada. He said the cost of the pollution should be added to tariffs Canada already pays. However, Canada says the smoke now flowing into its own territory proves that wildfires do not respect borders. Trump and some Republican leaders have accused Canada of mismanaging its forests and fires.

Wildfires are burning across both countries right now. As of Monday, Canada had 843 active wildfires from coast to coast. Of those, 181 are considered "out of control," meaning they are growing and not responding to efforts to stop them. Another 532 fires are also out of control, but firefighters have not yet been able to begin working on those.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sat next to President Trump at the World Cup final on Sunday, where Trump reportedly suggested adding more tariffs on Canada. Carney has stayed calm in his responses to the criticism. "Fighting climate change is the responsibility of all countries, including the United States," he told reporters last week. His tone signals that Canada wants to address the issue without a major fight.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford had stronger words on Friday. He said that instead of complaining, American leaders should send help, just as Canada has helped the US during past wildfires. "If there's politicians out there chirping away, well maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help," Ford said. Many Canadians feel their country is being unfairly blamed for a problem both nations share.

Canada's emergency preparedness minister, Eleanor Olszewski, said Canada has spent about 12 billion Canadian dollars on fire prevention and forest care over the past five years. She described wildfires as a shared challenge that goes beyond any one country. "This is a challenge that knows no borders," she said. Scientists widely agree that a warming climate is making wildfires more frequent and harder to control across North America.