Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNewsCanadaMidwestern Republicans blame Canada, level threats for drifting wildfire smoke'FINAL WARNING TO CANADA: Manage your forests to prevent these fires. American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year,' wrote a Michigan congressman running for governorLast updated 4 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Wildfire smoke drifting south from Canada causing hazy conditions on July 16, 2026 in New York. US states near the Canadian border including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois were affected. Photo by ANGELA WEISS /AFP via Getty ImagesU.S. Republican politicians are blaming Canada for the wildlfire smoke drifting south primarily into the American midwest and northeast, with some taking threatening stances.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe primary source is more than 800 fires in northwestern Ontario, though American media such as USA Today and the Washington Post, are reporting that wildfires in Minnesota are also contributing. But midwestern Republicans are ignoring the latter, preferring to point threateningly at Canada, issuing warnings and aiming to introduce legislation to hold Canada accountable.Michigan congressman John James, whose campaign for state governor has been endorsed by President Donald Trump wrote in an X post on Thursday: “FINAL WARNING TO CANADA: Manage your forests to prevent these fires. American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year.”Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againHe continued to lecture Canada, stating: “Sovereignty comes with responsibility, and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace has not been met.”FINAL WARNING TO CANADA: Manage your forests to prevent these fires. American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year. Sovereignty comes with responsibility, and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s… pic.twitter.com/94QZPfIKcY— John James (@JohnJamesMI) July 16, 2026Ohio Republican senator, Bernie Moreno, said he will “be introducing a bill next week to sanction Canada and the responsible Canadian government officials for this atrocity.”Another Michigan member of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Lisa McClain, was more considered in her social media comments, while still pointing a finger at Canada.In an X post she said that Michigan is again suffering from “Canada’s wildfire crisis” adding that she has spoken with the White House and U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hokestra to “get answers and understand our options.”While recognizing that “there is no magic switch” that can force Canada to solve this, she says she will continue to search for ways to reduce the impact on Michigan residents.I’ll be introducing a bill next week to sanction Canada and the responsible Canadian government officials for this atrocity. https://t.co/wFCVwrPdGr— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) July 16, 2026These comments are neglecting the fact that there over 1,100 wildfire burning in the U.S. right now, more than 300 of them critical, and over 400 in the American midwest.The Republican politicians are also forgetting that Canada came to the aid of U.S. firefighters when they faced devastating blazes in the Los Angeles area in early 2025. As reported by National Post, firefighters and supplies from across Canada were sent to the aid of weary L.A. fire crews battling several fires across the city.Ontario sent 65 urban firefighters. Alberta and B.C. joined in the fight too.“We are preparing to deploy incident command team support to California, as well as additional wildfire-fighting resources, including water bombers and night-vision helicopters,” Smith said in a post on X.Quebec’s forest fire protection agency, SOPFEU, sent two water bombers and crews. Two planes are sent to the U.S. each fall as part of an annual contract, extended in 2025 because of the L.A. emergency.The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) responded to a request from the National Interagency Fire Center in the U.S. for two CL-415 skimmer air tankers with flight crews to operate in southern California. The CIFFC shares resources within Canada and also with the U.S.According to the CIFFCa Diplomatic Note signed with the United States authorizes resource sharing across the international boundary: “The Canada/United States Reciprocal Forest Fire Fighting Arrangement (CANUS) combined with several other exemptions allows for quick movement of resources across the international border, essential during an escalated fire season. The CIFFC Coordination Centre maintains daily contact with the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) in Boise Idaho to coordinate resource sharing between the two countries.”Even still, when wildfire season struck in Canada last summer and the impact on American air quality became a hot topic between the countries’ governments, the Trump administration urged Canada to emphasize “forest management” as an antidote.As reported by National Post, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said at the time that the two nations don’t necessarily agree on the role of such measures.EPA chief Lee Zeldin made the comment during a late 2025 meeting of G7 environment and energy ministers in Toronto. He noted pressure from politicians in states affected by drifting smoke led to “a lot of engagement” with Environment Canada.“The impacts on the northern United States led to a lot of advocacy and questions coming from United States governors and congressional delegations and others,” he told a news conference during the G7 gathering.However, he acknowledged parallels between what “Canada experienced” and “California experienced last January,” adding that this highlights the need to lean into forest management.That includes management techniques like controlled burns, clearing away combustible debris from forest floors and creating fire breaks. But Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew rejected the U.S. critiques, noting that most of the fires in his province were simply started by lightning strikes in remote locations. In those places, he added, preventive measures were all but impossible.Lori Daniels, forestry professor at the University of British Columbia, also countered American finger-pointing.“If the United States wants to contribute to a global solution, they need to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions,” said Daniels. “Given that they are in the top-three of greenhouse-gas emitters, maybe the onus could go back to them for some of that responsibility.”Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.