As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke, a U.S. senator says states should be stepping up to help Canada “without the threats.”
“When California was burning, Canada sent fire fighters, planes and assistance — not insults,” Sen. Adam Schiff of California said in a social media post on Sunday.
“As California and other states step up to repay the [favour], we should do so without the threats and ramblings of a failing leader. We should show some humanity.”
Schiff, a Democrat, was responding to calls from Trump and other Republicans to hold Canada responsible for the wildfire smoke that has been billowing across the border, triggering air quality warnings in states like Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New York and Indiana.
The wildfire smoke has left Trump fuming about America’s “poisoned” air.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.
“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.”
There have also been recent air quality warnings in B.C. due to wildfires burning in the U.S.
As forest fires raged in California early last year, Canadian firefighters were deployed to help. American firefighters were also sent to Canada to assist during the 2025 wildfire season.
In an August 2025 statement, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra highlighted the mutual assistance, saying that the two countries “have a long history of supporting one another in times of crisis.”
“Poor air quality here in Ottawa, across Canada, and in the United States caused by the wildfires is a stark reminder of the shared challenges we face and the importance of working together to protect lives, communities, and natural resources,” Hoekstra said at the time. “Canadians stood with us during the tragic California wildfires earlier this year, and we are committed to standing with Canada now.”
With files from The Canadian Press
