Toronto – Another afternoon, Victor Mounier, who was shopping for groceries at his nearby supermarket, reached out to the head of the broccoli. I then reconsidered. It was imported from the US.
Moonier dumped the broccoli and reached for a mushroom packaging with another label, “Canadian Product.”
It was a small act of resistance to the Trump administration, and the sudden restraint of a longtime alliance between the two countries.
Since taking office last month, President Trump has claimed that he wants to annex the country to create the 51st state in the United States, turning Canada into a punching bag and threatening heavy tariffs on the goods. He claims that.
“They’re going to be much better,” Trump said of Canadians a few days ago.
President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will speak before the 2019 NATO conference in the UK.
(Frank Augustein/Applications)
Furious at such stories from countries that are believed to be their closest friends, and usually mild Canadians discard beach trips to Florida and play before the NHL game with the US national anthem Boo and produce from Netflix to boycott everything from Netflix.
With support from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders, the boycott has achieved position. Shoppers across the country support more local fares for California-grown fruits and vegetables, and bar patrons trade Kentucky bourbons for Canadian rye.
“Trump is causing a lot of trouble,” said Mary Brock, another shopper who kept us out of our cart at a downtown Toronto supermarket. “I want to do my part.”
President Trump is “causing a lot of trouble,” said Canadian shopper Mary Bullock, who is eschewing US products. “I want to do my part.”
(Dennis Carnan / Due to the times)
Tensions with the US, which was fanned this week when Trump announced tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum that would particularly hurt Canada, sparked both betrayal and patriotism.
A poll by the Angus Reed Institute found a 10-point jump to the percentage of Canadians who said they were “very proud” of their country compared to two months ago. Nine of the 10 respondents said Canada should reduce its dependence on the US.
Experts said Trump’s attacks have helped unify a country that has largely split Trudeau’s leadership in recent months. It also sparked a soul quest for what exactly means to be Canadian.
With two in five inhabitants of immigrants or children of immigrants, this rich, diverse country has long been proud of what Trudeau once called a “post-national” identity with a mix of language, religion and culture. I’ve been thinking about it.
But even if Canadians don’t always agree with a shared vision of what they are, the explosion against Trump shows they can agree on what they are.
“Canadians don’t want to be Americans,” said Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary. “We share a lot of collaborations with the US, but there are so many differences. Healthcare policy. School shootings. We like not having that many guns.”
The Trump signs are posted on a tree in Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, near the Canadian border.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Similar events during other events, including the 1995 Quebec referendum, when Canadians gathered to keep the province part of the federal state, and the country’s decision to halt the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Reflection has arisen.
But Trump feels different. Many wondered whether his tariff threat was a bluff, but his suggestion that the US would absorb Canada is a joke, he should take seriously. There is a growing sense of having to do it.
Trudeau recently told a group of business leaders that he believes Trump’s story of annexing Canada is “real” because the Canadian president is craving Canadian minerals. It also coincides with Trump’s stated desire to use military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
“This is an external threat that most living Canadians have never felt or seen,” said Howard Ramos, a political sociologist at Western University, Ontario.
A few days after being elected for the second term in November, Trump said he would order a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico. .
Trudeau has returned saying that it is less than 1% of fentanyl and that less than 1% of illegal crossings to the US come from Canada. He vowed to retaliate with tariffs on American goods, focusing on Republican Congressional District products.
He urged fellow citizens to stop drinking Florida orange juice, cancel their summer holidays to the US, and avoid the products made there. “Now is… time to choose Canada,” he said. “There are many ways you can do your part.”
But Trudeau also expressed the disillusionment that many felt here.
He said Canadians fought the war alongside the Americans. They had sent help to help Hurricane Katrina and plane victims fight California wildfires.
“We were always there and stood with you,” Trudeau said.
The prospects for the trade war were approaching hours before tariffs came into effect on February 4th. Finally, Trudeau and Trump arrived at the agreement. The Prime Minister agreed to a small concession to strengthen Canada’s border with the United States. The president agreed to postpone tariffs for 30 days.
The crisis was averted – for the time being. But in Canada something has changed. The local expansion campaign expanded with news agencies that instruct consumers to read product labels. There was a growing sense that Canadians had been surprised by the unfortunate and unpredictable American leader for another four years.
These fears were highlighted Monday when Trump announced that he was raising tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 25%.
Production line worker at the Martinlear plant in Woodbridge, Canada on February 3, 2025. The factory supplies auto parts to factories in Canada and the US
(Chris Young/Applications)
Canada is a major exporter of both metals. Canadian steel producer assn. The proposed taxes said nationwide “threatening employment and community.”
Tensions with the new US administration are coming to a politically vulnerable time for Canada. This is led by a party looking for a new leader.
Trudeau was forced to bid last month for his resignation after falling into a historic low over Canada’s slow economy, housing crisis and concerns about the country’s near-recorded level of immigration.
Anyone who replaces him as a leader of the Liberal Party will become the next prime minister. Shortly afterwards, the person faces a general election and a strong challenge from the Conservatives.
Experts said the election is likely to be dominated by one question: Who can fight Trump?
Politicians from across the spectrum sought to present their status as defenders of Canadian sovereignty.
Mark Carney, the favorite to replace Trudeau as head of the liberal party, said Canada would not “enter the cave” Trump. “We’re going to stand up to the bullies.”
Ontario leader Doug Ford wears the hat that says “Canada is not for sale.”
Agnus Reid Institute polls found that tariff threats were attracting more national attention than news events outside the Covid-19 pandemic. Conversations about relationships between the two countries are narrowed down to schools, workplaces and even drinking establishments.
Samia Saad on the left said he was saddened by President Trump’s attack. “This shouldn’t be,” she said in Toronto. “We shouldn’t be enemies.”
(Dennis Carnan / Due to the times)
At a super bargain cocktail and snack bar in downtown Toronto, bartender Daniel Sousa said there have been fewer bourbon orders in recent weeks.
Samia Saad sat at the end of the bar drinking beer brewed in Canada. She shunned our products but said she hoped that tensions between the nations would be eased.
“We shouldn’t do this,” she said. “We shouldn’t be enemies. That makes no sense.”
Calnan, a special correspondent from Toronto, reported Linthicum, a Times staff writer from Mexico City.
