President Trump is treating one of America’s closest allies like an enemy \u2014 again.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0president has officially put Canada on notice over the wildfires and suggested the country should now pay the U.S. damages<\/a>\u00a0over the smoke drifting across the border. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “I told them, I mean, ‘You got to stop these fires from coming in and, you know, poisoning our air,’\u00a0our air has been poisoned. I\u00a0have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but you know we got to stop the fires up there. If we can help them,\u00a0we’ll\u00a0help them. But\u00a0maybe they\u00a0should pay us\u00a0some\u00a0damages\u00a0or something, or we should do some tariffs.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Yes,\u00a0smoke from Canada’s wildfires<\/a>\u00a0has hurt air quality across parts of the United States.\u00a0But these\u00a0aren’t\u00a0fires the Canadian government simply decided not to put out. Many of this summer’s largest fires were sparked by lightning strikes. As of this week, Canada is\u00a0battling more than 800 active wildfires<\/a>, with more than 180 considered out of control.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n And we, as a country, know exactly what\u00a0that’s\u00a0like.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Every year, Americans battle catastrophic wildfires from California to the Pacific Northwest. This year alone, the\u00a0U.S. has recorded nearly 40,000 wildfires<\/a>, burning more than\u00a03\u00a0million acres.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n That’s\u00a0why Ontario Premier Doug Ford\u00a0had this response<\/a>\u00a0on CNN.\u00a0“When neighbors need help, you go\u00a0and\u00a0support them, just like we did with Hurricane Helene.\u00a0We sent over 50 utility trucks down there,\u00a0over 100 people down there to support the people in the Carolinas and Georgia.\u00a0We had people ready out west to support the California fires. \u2026\u00a0We need support, we need help right now.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n These are our neighbors! Canada has historically been\u00a0our friends. They’ve helped us fight fires. They’ve\u00a0helped restore power after hurricanes. Their emergency crews have crossed our border repeatedly when Americans needed help.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n For everyone blaming Canada for blaming forest mismanagement, Canada’s emergency preparedness minister says the country has invested roughly 12 billion Canadian dollars<\/a>\u00a0over the last five years in wildfire prevention and forest sustainability.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Rather than pointing fingers,\u00a0let’s\u00a0help our allies address a natural disaster like they have helped us in the past.\u00a0We’re\u00a0already locked in\u00a0tariff fights over Canadian steel, aluminum and lumber<\/a>. We’re actively deteriorating our relationship with the country.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Canadians were historically America’s largest group of international visitors. But amid rising political tensions and trade disputes, Canadian travel to the U.S. has fallen dramatically, down roughly 29 percent compared to 2024<\/a>, costing American businesses billions in tourism spending.<\/p>\n It’s\u00a0OK\u00a0to have healthy disagreements and negotiate with allies, but when disaster\u00a0strikes,\u00a0allies should not reach punishment first.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n