Does the meaning stay the same if I say "get tougher to Beijing" instead of "get tougher on Beijing"?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yes, the meaning would change if you used "tougher to Beijing", because this would imply that Beijing perceives that Canada is tough. However, "tougher on Beijing" expresses that Canada is being tough or strict with Beijing. So "on" is the correct preposition to use in this case, and is normally always used after "tough". Ex: My parents were tough on me as a child.