Republicans have ramped up their feud with Canada with a bizarre demand that the country’s northern neighbors stop their wildfire smoke from drifting into the U.S.
Reps. Elise Stefanik and Nick Langworthy wrote in a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that their constituents in New York are facing “unacceptable levels of smoke” from ongoing Canadian wildfires, which are harming residents’ “health and daily lives.”
“Wildfire smoke is now a regular issue in New York,” they wrote in the letter Wednesday, citing recent air quality alerts, canceled events, and warnings to stay indoors. “Families across the state are forced to stay indoors during summer, a time usually spent outside.”
Canada is currently battling more than 730 active wildfires, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Entire towns have been evacuated, and emergency responders are struggling to contain what could become the country’s second-worst fire season on record.
So far this year, over 16 million acres have already been scorched — an area larger than the state of West Virginia, The New York Times reported.
But Stefanik and Langworthy want Canadian officials to do more. They’re urging Carney to prioritize “communication and collaboration” across border lines.
“This is not a new problem,” they wrote. “We look forward to your response and learning how your government plans to deal with this issue going forward.”
Carney, the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, is familiar with ongoing threats wildfires pose. Last week, he wrote on X that his hometown was evacuated during wildfire season two years ago.
Two years ago, my hometown of Fort Smith had to be evacuated due to wildfires. The team at Parks Canada Fire Management and the NWT government Fire Operations department help keep their communities safe every day. We discussed resilience, adaptation, and coordination, and I had… pic.twitter.com/5RSXEA6KgC
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) July 25, 2025
Stefanik, the most senior elected Republican in New York, went a step further on social media by accusing Canada of mishandling both its forests and its response to human-caused fires.
“The scale and severity of these fires continues to raise concerns about Canada’s forest mismanagement and lack of effective deterrence of human-caused fire,” she wrote on X.
New York is facing another summer of significant air quality issues due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. State officials have advised residents to limit outdoor activity. Schools, camps, and events have been impacted. The scale and severity of these fires continues to raise…
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) August 6, 2025
But research from Canada’s natural resource department paints a different picture. In 2023, just 7% of the country’s wildfires were human-caused. The vast majority were sparked by lightning.
While wildfire has long played a role in Canada’s forest ecosystems, recent fire seasons have grown increasingly severe—fueled in part by rising temperatures.
The issue drew global attention in 2023—Canada’s worst wildfire season on record—after smoke blanketed swaths of the U.S. and turned New York City’s skies an apocalyptic orange.
Stefanik, Langworthy, and the prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The representatives’ demands to their northern neighbor come as President Donald Trump has tangled with Canada in recent months over tariffs. Last week,Trump hit Canada with a 35 percent tariff on all goods not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
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