TORONTO — Shopping for groceries the other afternoon at his neighborhood supermarket here, Victor Meunier reached for a head of broccoli — then reconsidered. It had been imported from the United States.
Meunier ditched the broccoli and reached for package of mushrooms with a different label: “Product of Canada.”
It was a small act of resistance against the Trump administration and its sudden upending of the longtime alliance between the two nations.
Since taking office last month, President Trump has turned Canada into a punching bag, threatening hefty tariffs on its goods while insisting that he is serious when he says that he wants to annex the country to make it America’s 51st state.
“They would be much better off,” Trump said of Canadians a few days ago, adding that Canada is “not viable as a country” without U.S. trade.
Outraged by such talk from a nation that is supposed to be their closest friend, normally mild-mannered Canadians have been scrapping beach trips to Florida, booing the U.S. anthem when it plays before NHL games and boycotting all things American-made — from Netflix to produce.
With support from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders, the boycott is gaining ground. Shoppers around the country are forgoing California-grown fruits and veggies in favor of more local fare, and bar patrons are trading Kentucky bourbon for Canadian rye.
“Trump is causing a lot of trouble,” said Mary Brock, another shopper who was keeping U.S. products out of her cart at the supermarket in downtown Toronto. “I’d like to do my part.”
Tensions with the U.S. — which were fanned this week when Trump announced tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum, a measure that will especially hurt Canada — have inspired both a sense of betrayal and patriotism.
A poll by the Angus Reid Institute found a 10-point jump in the percentage of Canadians who said they are “very proud” of their country compared with two months ago. Nine of 10 respondents said Canada should reduce its reliance on the United States.
Experts said Trump’s aggression has helped unify a country that in recent months had been deeply divided over Trudeau’s leadership. It has also sparked soul-searching about what it means, exactly, to be Canadian.
This richly diverse country, where 2 in 5 residents are immigrants or the children of immigrants, has long prided itself on having what Trudeau once termed a “post-national” identity — with a mix of languages, religions and cultures.
But even if Canadians don’t always agree on a shared vision for what they are, the blowup over Trump has shown they can agree on what they are not.
“Canadians don’t want to be Americans,” said Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary. “We share a lot of linkages with the U.S., but we have so many differences. Healthcare policy. School shootings. We like not having as many guns.”
Similar reflection happened during other events, including the 1995 Quebec referendum, when Canadians rallied to keep the province a part of the federation, and the country’s decision to sit out the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
But Trump feels different. Although many at first wondered whether his threats of tariffs were a bluff and his suggestion that the U.S. absorb Canada was a joke, there is a growing sense that he must be taken seriously.
Trudeau recently told a group of business leaders that he believes Trump’s talk of annexing Canada “is a real thing” because the American president covets Canada’s minerals. It also lines up with Trump’s stated desire to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, possibly using military force.
“This is an external threat that I don’t think most Canadians alive would have felt or seen,” said Howard Ramos, a political sociologist at Western University in Ontario.
Days after he was elected to a second term in November, Trump said he would be ordering a 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico — punishment, he said, because the countries hadn’t done enough to combat fentanyl smuggling or illegal immigration.
Trudeau struck back, saying less than 1% of fentanyl and less than 1% of illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada. He vowed to retaliate with tariffs on American goods, with a focus on products from Republican congressional districts.
He urged fellow citizens to stop drinking Florida orange juice, cancel summer vacations to the U.S. and avoid products made there. “Now is … the time to choose Canada,” he said. “There are many ways for you to do your part.”
But Trudeau also expressed a sense of disillusionment felt by many here — as if the relationship they thought they had with the United States was not, after all, what it had seemed.
Canadians, he said, had fought wars alongside Americans. They had sent aid to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and planes to combat California wildfires.
“We were always there, standing with you,” Trudeau said.
The prospect of a trade war loomed until just hours before the tariffs were set to take effect Feb. 4. At the last minute, Trudeau and Trump arrived at an accord: The prime minister agreed to small concessions to fortify Canada’s border with the U.S., and the president agreed to postpone tariffs for 30 days.
Crisis was averted — for the time being. But in Canada, something had shifted. The campaign to buy local expanded, with news agencies instructing consumers on how to read product labels. There was a growing sense that Canadians were in for four more years of surprises from a disrespectful and unpredictable American leader.
Those fears were underscored Monday, when Trump announced that he was raising tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 25%.
Canada is a major exporter of both metals. The Canadian Steel Producers Assn. said the proposed taxes “threaten jobs and communities” nationwide.
The tensions with the new U.S. administration comes at a politically fragile time for Canada, which is led by a party looking for a new leader.
Trudeau was forced to tender his resignation last month after his approval rating sunk to historic lows over Canada’s sluggish economy, a housing crisis and concern about the country’s near-record levels of immigration.
Whoever replaces him as the leader of the Liberal Party will be the next prime minister. Soon after, that person will face a general election, and a strong challenge from the Conservative Party.
Experts said the election is likely to be dominated by one question: Who can best counter Trump?
Politicians from across the spectrum have sought to present themselves as defenders of Canada’s sovereignty.
Mark Carney, the favorite to replace Trudeau as head of the Liberal Party, said that Canada would not “cave in” to Trump: “We are going to stand up to a bully.”
Ontario’s leader, Doug Ford, has taken to wearing a hat that says “Canada is not for sale.”
The Agnus Reid Institute poll found that the tariff threat had captured national attention more than any news event in recent years other than the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversations about the relationship between the two countries have filtered into schools, workplaces and even drinking establishments.
At Super Bargain Cocktail and Snack Bar in downtown Toronto, bartender Daniel Sousa said there had been fewer orders for bourbon in recent weeks.
Samia Saad was sitting at the end of a bar, drinking a beer brewed in Canada. She had been avoiding U.S. products, but said she hoped tensions between the nations eased.
“It shouldn’t be this way,” she said. “We shouldn’t be enemies. It makes no sense.”
Special correspondent Calnan reported from Toronto and Times staff writer Linthicum from Mexico City.
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