What to know
- Trump’s ‘clean air’ wall proposal follows wildfire smoke drifting from Canada to the U.S.
- New U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods are set for August unless a deal is made.
- Torontonians call for practical help, not ‘stupid’ solutions or blame.
- Residents highlight Canada’s history of sending aid to the U.S. during wildfires.
Last Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of a ‘clean air’ wall separating Canada from its southern neighbours amid wildfire smoke, and Toronto residents shared their thoughts on the division.
After Canada’s wildfires have spread some smoke into the United States, the Trump administration announced 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $20 billion in Canadian products, scheduled to take effect Aug. 19, unless an agreement is reached.
Trump took things a step further, posting an AI-image depicting an air-filtration barrier, reading “Clean air. Clean borders,” on a social media post.
So, Now Toronto asked Torontonians their thoughts on Trump’s clean-air border idea.
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‘It’s just stupid,’ Torontonians disagree with Trump’s border idea
Toronto resident Sid K. thinks, “It’s just stupid,” stating that you can’t just slap a filter and say, ‘Here’s clean air,’ and suggests that Trump should help instead.
“The U.S. has now become the unfriendly neighbour to Canada. When they had wildfires, Canada sent firefighters. But when it’s happening to us, they’re just complaining about the smoke. It’s not like we’re blowing it their way,” Sid told Now Toronto.
Beyond the wall proposition between Mexico and the U.S., Sid believes this is “even more ludicrous.”
Toronto resident Christian A. joked, “He couldn’t make the border between Mexico and America, so this is never gonna happen.”
Jokes aside, Christian believes that Trump’s wall obsession is hurtful to people when it comes to immigration.
“I think building a wall for the air is more ridiculous, but building a wall for people is sadder… While I understand that some of them might have malicious intent, the vast majority of them are just trying to find a better life, and building a wall is never really going to solve the root issue,” he told Now Toronto.
Meanwhile, Toronto resident John B. believes that this idea is typical of Trump’s behaviour.
“It’s as crazy as most of the other things he does these days… You can’t control the weather, you can’t control the air. I don’t know what he’s really trying to accomplish with that,” he told Now Toronto.
‘He needs to help,’ How Torontonians suggest Trump reacts to the smoke instead
Christian A. tells Trump to fix the problems he’s caused Canada first.
“He has gotten rid of almost all the funding for climate change research… And if he wants us to be able to stop the smoke, he needs to send us some of his firefighters, as we have done to the United States. One of our firefighters died trying to save people affected by the forest fires in the U.S.,” he said.
Meanwhile, John B. tells Trump to simply “be a good neighbour.”
“He should probably be trying to send help… I wouldn’t sit there and complain or make nasty comments,” he said.
