Canadians have canceled trips to the United States, boycotted alcohol and other American products, and even jeered at American teams during sporting events after President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
Although Trump had warned Canada and Mexico before his inauguration that he would impose tariffs on them, the official announcement of the decision on Saturday came as a shock to many Canadians who consider themselves geographically and culturally close to the U.S.
“It feels like Trump wants to reshape the world order,” said Drew Dilkens, the mayor of Windsor, a city located on the U.S. border. “He is willing to start with his closest ally… If he’s willing to do this to Canada, what will he do to others?” he asked.
Dilkens pointed out that goods worth $272 million cross the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor with Detroit, every day (approximately 265 million euros). For his city, with a population of 240,000, the effects of the tariffs imposed by Trump will be immediate.
Dilkens hopes that locals will support the region’s wine producers and distillers. Calgary resident Ken Lima-Coelo said the news of the tariffs sparked a surge of patriotic feelings in his household. His 19-year-old son now plans to sew a small Canadian flag onto his backpack, which he will take with him on his trip to Europe. His daughter was also recording the Canadian products they had in their kitchen on Saturday night.
“I can’t do anything about this political situation we find ourselves in with our neighboring regime,” Lima-Coelho commented. “But I can change the toothpaste I buy… and that gives us something to do while we hope our political and business leaders will sort this out.”
After Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on Canadian imports to the U.S., Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded with retaliatory tariffs on various American products amounting to $107 billion (approximately 104 billion euros).
Furthermore, the Canadian Prime Minister urged his fellow citizens to prefer Canadian products, a sentiment echoed by other local officials.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford proposed removing American-made beverages from the shelves of the province’s sole beverage retailer (LCBO) by Tuesday. “Every year, LCBO sells about $1 billion worth of American wines, beers, and alcoholic beverages. Not anymore,” he emphasized on X.
Lorraine McKenzie said she would change the products she buys, seeking to support Mexican and Canadian products.
“Jobs will be lost in this country… we know this will happen,” she said. “We need to find ways to show our solidarity with those who will suffer from this senseless anger,” she added.
In Ottawa on Saturday night, Canadians reacted angrily during a hockey game, shouting at the American team, Minnesota Wild. Manitoba Premier Whab Kinew called for calm.
“I think we need to understand that our disagreement is not with the American people… because many of our families, our relatives across the 49th parallel, are still our friends and family,” he said. “We continue to share the history of our veterans who fought side by side to defeat fascism.”
But 64-year-old British Columbia resident Mike Davis has been angry with Trump since the Republican president began posting comments on social media suggesting that the U.S. should annex Canada and make it the 51st state.
“I’m upset that Americans are insulting Canada… Do all Canadians feel as disgusted?”
Davis created a Facebook page encouraging people to boycott American products. He also canceled his Netflix subscription and said he would never use Amazon again. He also canceled his plans to visit a friend in North Carolina.
“We won’t be going to America,” he said.
