Canada is facing a new front in its tensions with the United States, this time over the wildfire smoke drifting south across the border. A Republican senator has introduced a bill that would punish Canada with sanctions over the haze reaching American skies, even as more than 700 wildfires burn out of control across the country during a punishing fire season.
The measure was put forward by Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, who framed it as retribution for smoke crossing into the United States. According to the proposal, it would call for the expulsion of Canadian diplomats and impose a series of financial sanctions on the country, an unusually aggressive response to what is fundamentally a natural disaster.
The bill's prospects appear uncertain. A former U.S. senator dismissed the idea, saying he did not believe it would pass and pointing out that wildfires are a recurring reality on both sides of the border, from Montana, Washington and Idaho to British Columbia and Alberta. He described the fires as a fact of life that communities simply do their best to fight.
The pressure has not come from Congress alone. After Sunday's World Cup final, President Donald Trump said he had demanded that Prime Minister Mark Carney act, arguing that the fires had to be stopped from poisoning American air. The Trump administration has since said the president asked his officials to draw up options for new tariffs tied directly to the smoke.
Carney pushed back on that framing, saying that fighting wildfires is a collective effort and noting the contributions Canadians have made during American disasters, as well as the help Canada has received from American, South African and Mexican firefighters. Ontario Premier Doug Ford was more pointed, questioning why Washington was not sending water bombers and wildland crews rather than complaining.
The political clash is unfolding against the backdrop of a severe fire season. More than 700 wildfires are currently burning out of control across Canada, and in northern Ontario about 1,800 people have been forced to flee. Some evacuees described harrowing escapes, spending the night in boats alongside people with disabilities, young children and pregnant women.
The smoke itself has been shifting. Its path has drifted somewhat, bringing some relief to states like Michigan and Ohio but worsening conditions in Illinois and Wisconsin. Rain and an approaching cold front are expected to improve air quality over the Midwest in the coming days, even as the diplomatic dispute over the haze shows no sign of clearing.