As crews continue to work around the clock to respond to wildfires across northwestern Ontario, some American politicians have taken to social media to slam Canada and one senator is even calling for sanctions.
While sharing a resident’s photo of a downtown street with smoke in the background, Republican Ohio senator Bernie Moreno said in a post on social media that he will table a bill the week of July 20 to “sanction Canada and the responsible Canadian government officials for this atrocity.”
Republican Congressman John James, who represents a district north of Detroit and is endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump to be the Republican candidate for Michigan governor, posted a “final warning” to Canada on social media.
“Manage your forests to prevent these fires. American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year,” he wrote.
“Sovereignty comes with responsibility, and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace has not been met.”
Central Michigan Congressman Tom Barrett posted a picture that appears to have been taken from inside an airplane and shows smoke in the sky.
“This was my view flying into Lansing this afternoon because Canadian wildfire smoke is pouring into Michigan. Do you think we should delay the Gordie Howe Bridge opening until Canada takes responsibility and gets control of these fires?” he asked, referring to a delayed opening of the new Detroit-Windsor crossing.
Lisa McClain, a Republican who represents northern Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives, said in a video on Thursday that she contacted the White House and the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra.
“Another summer of more Canadian wildfires … it’s serious out there,” she said while encouraging residents to check on others in need and to follow guidelines.
“Last year, I don’t know if you remember or not, but we actually sent some of our firefighters and foresters to Canada to try and mitigate the situation up there since they aren’t really doing much.”
A separate post from McClain said Michigan residents shouldn’t have to “breathe Canada’s negligence.”
“Year after year, the smoke crosses the border while Canada does nothing. Stop exporting your smoke into our skies,” she wrote.
Throughout North America, firefighter crews have often travelled between jurisdictions to assist as needed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford noted that crews from Alberta and Yukon were assisting in the province. In January 2025, Canadian firefighters were dispatched to California to assist in battling fires in the Los Angeles area.
Officials in many U.S. cities urged residents to stay inside or wear masks outside as air quality reached unhealthy to hazardous levels, meaning it’s unhealthy for anyone, regardless of health conditions.
Detroit’s air quality was among the worst in the world for major cities, as a lingering high-pressure system trapped smoke from dozens of fires in Canada and northern Minnesota, said Steven Freitag, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pontiac, Michigan.
All of Michigan and much of Minnesota were under a hazardous air quality alert. In the Chicago area, air quality ranged from very unhealthy to hazardous.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jake Petr said even if winds from the northwest clear skies as expected later this week, the smoky air could keep returning until the fires are out. That could take weeks or longer.
Forest rangers on Thursday combed a remote wilderness area in Minnesota for anyone who might still be there days after wildfires led to its closure.
Officials closed the Boundary Waters along the U.S.-Canadian border on Tuesday. The Royal Canadian Air Force successfully evacuated 11 Minnesota teenagers and four staff members Wednesday from wildfires in an Ontario provincial park more than 280 kilometres north of the Minnesota border.
The wildfires west of Thunder Bay saw significant growth earlier this week, and a number of evacuation orders are in place for several communities.
Ontario forest fire officials said there are 136 active fires in the northwest region, with 63 out of control. Another 44 fires are burning in the northeast. Sixteen new wildfires were discovered Wednesday, while several fires raging north of Thunder Bay merged into a larger fire.
Provincial government officials said there have been 483 fires in Ontario so far this year, up from 351 as of this time last year and above the province’s 10-year average by mid-July of 320.
Ford said around 150 fire crews are responding to fires across northwestern Ontario.
“There have been no fatalities, which is pretty remarkable given the size of these fires,” he said.
“Our government will not spare an expense, not one single penny; we will spend whatever it takes to support getting them the support and resources they need to keep people safe.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about the U.S. criticism on Thursday at a news conference in London, Ont., something he brushed off. Speaking in French, Carney said Canada is emphasizing investments in clean energy while the U.S. is actively working against clean energy.
U.S. environmental group BlueGreen Alliance this week said President Donald Trump’s policies have cancelled or delayed 139 clean energy and industrial projects worth almost US$31 billion.
“Fighting climate change is the responsibility of all countries, including the United States,” Carney said in French.
However, he was forced to defend his own government’s record on the environment in the face of the fires. Carney acknowledged in a video in late June that his policies will lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions than had been expected under the policies of his predecessor, but insists it’s for the greater good of Canada to balance resource projects like a new pipeline with environmental investments.
He said the government is taking an investment-driven approach, which includes plans to double the size of Canada’s electricity grid. He told reporters his government is building preconditions to reduce climate-altering carbon emissions into investments like the new pipeline agreement with Alberta.
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
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