After the US imposed tariffs on Canada, a pub in Toronto immediately stopped serving American products. Instead, the menu has been adjusted to include only local Canadian ingredients or alternate items from Europe or Mexico. The pub’s manager, Leah Russell, expressed her support for this move, saying, “I’m glad that we’re getting rid of American products and supporting local businesses.”
This action is part of a larger response by Canadians to President Trump’s tariffs and threats against their country. Actor Jeff Douglas, formerly the face of Molson Canadian Beer’s “I Am Canadian” advertisements, posted a video rejecting Trump’s idea of Canada as “the 51st state.” Other, more symbolic gestures have been made as well, such as a Montreal café renaming their Americano to a “Canadiano,” and the CBC facing backlash for airing a program discussing the idea of Canada becoming a US state.
The tariffs imposed by Trump have been met with uncertainty and anxiety in Canada, as many of the country’s exports are sold to the US. Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, stated his plan to impose export tariffs on electricity supplied to some US states, affecting up to 1.5 million American homes. The Canadian government is preparing relief measures for the impacted individuals and businesses, similar to those used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to these economic issues, many Canadians are also taking Trump’s annexation rhetoric seriously. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that Trump is aiming to cause the collapse of the Canadian economy in order to make annexation easier. This has deeply hurt the feelings of many Canadians who have considered the US their closest friend and ally for many years.
The Canadian boycotts are already having a significant impact, as leisure travel bookings to the US have decreased by 40%. While Canadians ideally want their relationship with the US to return to normal, there is a growing consensus that “Canada needs to find friends elsewhere.”
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd92ynwne18o
