Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced fresh warnings from US President Donald Trump as wildfires continued to burn across Canada, with smoke reaching parts of the United States.
Trump, speaking to Carney during the World Cup Final on Sunday, urged Canada to get a handle on the blazes after saying the smoke was harming air quality in the US. He also suggested Canada should provide compensation, while adding that the US would help if needed.
Wildfire toll and evacuations
More than 900 wildfires were reported to be burning across Canada, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people, damaging homes and infrastructure, and affecting an estimated 28,000 sq km of land.
Carney said in a statement on Sunday that the government had mobilised more than 5,000 firefighters along with nearly 300 waterbombers, helicopters and evacuation aircraft to contain, control and reduce the impact of the fires.
The response, Carney said, was an “enormous” and complex operation that depended on personnel working to protect Canadians’ safety.
Trump-Carney tariff dispute
The exchange came after Trump threatened last week to impose new tariffs on Canada, linking the measures to what he described as the incalculable cost to the US from the smoke’s effects. On Friday, Trump posted the tariff warning online as dense smoke blanketed Washington DC and New York City and drifted across a wider stretch of the eastern US.
Trump’s remarks to Carney at the football final added to rising friction between the two countries, with the wildfire crisis becoming part of a broader dispute over economic leverage.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday criticised the approach, telling reporters the US should support its closest allies rather than issue threats over tariffs. Ford said the back-and-forth can be frustrating and pointed out that Canada has assisted the US during major disasters, including Hurricane Helene and wildfires in California.
“I get frustrated just listening to a bunch of rubbish,” Ford said at a press conference, adding that the neighbourly squabbles could matter one day when the roles are reversed.
Impacts in Ontario and beyond
In Ontario, Ford said about 1,800 people had been evacuated due to the wildfires. Whitewater Lake First Nation, which is made up largely of seasonal camps with no full-time residents, was burned over the weekend, according to Chief Pauline Drake.
Drake said community homes, infrastructure and personal property were destroyed, and she expressed concern about what the fire had meant for the local wildlife, describing the area’s beaches and hunting and noting the presence of eagles before the blaze.
Ford also visited Thunder Bay in Ontario over the weekend and promised to “do and spend whatever it takes” to protect people from what he called devastating wildfires.
In British Columbia, authorities placed the entire city of Kimberley under an evacuation alert, affecting around 9,000 residents.
Join the discussion? 
21 July 2026
-
5
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment