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Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on August 02, 2026. Photo by Anna Moneymaker /Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump has said he’s decided on a “punishment” for Canada following wildfires that pushed smoke across the border and affected air quality in some areas of the United States. But he hasn’t revealed what it is.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 AccountorWhile speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump was asked: “On Canada, have you decided on a punishment yet for the wildfire smoke?”“I have, yeah,” he replied. “You’ll find out about it.”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 againThough the U.S. President did not elaborate on what this punishment could be, he has previously threatened to impose further tariffs on Canada in response to smoke from wildfires in Northern Ontario, which he called “unacceptable” in a July 17 Truth Social post.“The United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable,” Trump wrote.He added: “This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”While speaking to reporters at an air base in Maryland after attending the FIFA World Cup final on July 19, Trump said he had confronted Prime Minister Mark Carney at the event over the wildfires.“I told him you’ve got to stop these fires from coming in and poisoning our air, our air’s been poisoned,” he said. “I have a good relationship with Mark Carney but, you know, we’ve got to stop the fires up there. If we can help them we’ll help them, but maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs?”Ontario Premier Doug Ford later dismissed the notion of more tariffs as “rubbish” during a press conference the following day.Premier Doug Ford said American politicians who have complained about Canadian “inaction” on wildfires should remember that Ontario has often sent resources to help deal with natural disasters south of the border.“If there’s some politician out there chirping away, maybe what… pic.twitter.com/88dCltIhmN— National Post (@nationalpost) July 20, 2026“Maybe if (Trump) got rid of the tariffs on softwood lumber it might make a difference, until we can harvest these areas and ship them down,” said Ford. “I’ve got to remind President Trump that 33 per cent of the lumber — and we have better quality lumber here in Canada — comes from Canada to build their homes.”The premier added: “Rather than criticize and threaten Canada, your closest friends, maybe one day you’re going to need our help like you did last year, and we deployed the people. I get frustrated just listening to this bunch of rubbish.”Canada has sent firefighting crews to California numerous times over the years, most recently in January 2025. Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota engulf the Washington D.C. skyline on July 17, 2026. Photo by Finn Gomez /Getty ImagesFord’s comments came the same day that Trump announced plans for a new 50 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, citing what the U.S. administration views as discriminatory trade practices by Canada, including Canadian tariffs on American autos, U.S. alcohol bans in some provinces and dairy import limits.At a first ministers meeting in Charlottetown on July 23, Carney said Canada would not respond to the tariffs, which are set to come into force on Aug. 19, before they take effect.Trump later trolled Canada with an AI-generated image depicting a giant air filter acting as a border wall between Canada and the U.S., which he shared on social media.The image included a sign that read: “North American air filter barrier. Clean air. Clean borders.”And the U.S. is currently dealing with wildfires of its own. There are 531 active wildfires across the U.S., according to American Forests, with fire activity concentrated across the northwest. Large fires near Spokane, Washington state, have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.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 newsletters 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.