Canadians have cancelled trips to the US, boycotted US alcohol and products, and even booed at sporting events following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on most of Canada’s goods on Saturday.
Though Trump had previously pledged to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico before taking office, the economic move against a neighbouring country that is so culturally and geographically close to the US still came as a shock to many Canadians.
“It feels like Trump wants to restructure the world order,” Drew Dilkens, mayor of Windsor, a Canadian border city, said in an interview. “He’s willing to start with his closest ally… If he’s willing to do this to Canada, what’s he willing to do to everybody else?”
Dilkens pointed out that around C$400 million ($272 million) in trade crosses the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor each day. For his community of 240,000, the effects of Trump’s tariffs will be immediate. He hopes local wineries and distilleries will benefit from the situation.
Calgary resident Ken Lima-Coelho shared how the tariff news spurred Canadian pride in his household. His 19-year-old son plans to sew a small Canadian flag to his backpack for an upcoming trip to Europe, while his daughter spent Saturday night cataloguing Canadian food products in the kitchen.
“There’s nothing I can do about this quagmire that we now find ourselves in politically with the regime next door,” Lima-Coelho said. “But I can change which toothpaste I buy… and that gives us something to do while hopefully our political and business leaders sort this out.”
Trump’s tariffs, which include a 25% import tax on all Canadian goods, except energy products (which will carry a 10% levy), came into effect on Tuesday.
In response, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs on C$155 billion ($107 billion) of US goods, with tariffs on C$30 billion taking effect on the same day, and duties on the remaining C$125 billion within 21 days.
Trudeau also urged Canadians to buy local and vacation within Canada, a sentiment echoed by many local officials.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordered American-made liquor to be removed from the shelves of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the only alcohol wholesaler in Canada’s most populous province, by Tuesday.
“Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore,” Ford posted on X.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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