By President Donald Trump may be pushing Americans further apart, but he’s brought Canadians closer together.
In a dynamic likely to be familiar to Americans, Canada had become increasingly polarized in recent years, with voters poised to replace the longtime Liberal government with a Conservative Party capitalizing on their worries about inflation and immigration.
But since Trump returned to office, Canadians’ top concern has shifted to relations with the United States, as he imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports and made joking-but-maybe-not comments about making their country the 51st U.S. state.
The steady flow of threats and insults from Trump has shocked and confused Canadians, completely upended their upcoming election and inspired a newfound patriotism in a country that isn’t known for being showy about that kind of thing.
It’s been a head-spinning turn of events for those who are struggling to understand how the U.S. could turn on Canada so quickly.
“The degree of disappointment and disillusionment is very high,” said Jonathan Malloy, a political science professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, the Canadian capital.
There is also intense anger. The country is ringing with calls to “Buy Canadian,” with U.S. liquor pulled from shelves and Canadian products prominently marked with maple leaf signs in grocery stores. Canadians are booing the U.S. national anthem at hockey games, canceling trips to the U.S. and asking for “Canadianos” instead of Americanos at coffee shops.
