Canada says too little, too late when Trump turns to tariffs

Not long after, the United States imposed its tariffs on Canada, a local neighborhood pub in Toronto began to remove all US products from its menu.

This means that Nachos, Wings – and of course, beer – must now be made with local Canadian ingredients or anywhere, products that are not from Europe or Mexico.

For Leah Russell, a manager at the Toronto Madison Avenue pub, the boycott was not a brain. She adds that she is “quite in a stone”, even if the tariffs themselves are not.

“I’m glad to get rid of American products and support local business,” G -Gia Russell told the BBC on Thursday. “I think this is an important thing.”

This challenging position in response to the tariffs and threats of President Donald Trump is unfolding in the north, even when it stops for an economic blow that it can eventually do a little to avoid in the event of a full trade war.

Just ask the actor Jeff Douglas, once the face of “I am Canadian” by Molson Canadian Beer, who has shot and posted frivolously but deeply patriotic video on YouTube this week aimed at Trump’s “51st” rhetoric.

“We are 51 nothing,” says Douglas in the video, which has since been viral in Canada.

Part of the reverse reaction is more symbolic, as a cafe in Montreal that changes American in its Canadian menu – a small gesture that owners say aims to show unity and support for their community and state.

Even CBC, the country’s public operator, feels the full power of this wave of patriotism after they dare to execute a program asking the Canadians what they think about Canada will become the “51st country”, as Trump suggests many times.

The show has sparked an intensive reaction and accusations of State betrayal, Sedia and even betrayal.

Although Trump has canceled some of the rates this week this week and paused by April 2, many Canadians say the damage has already been inflicted.

After the cancellation of Thursday, Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie told CNN that at that moment Canada was shown “too much disrespect by the Trump administration, calling us the 51st country, calling our Prime Minister” Governor. “

Meanwhile, Doug Ford, who is the leader of the most populated province in Canada, did not give up his plan to hit the electricity export rates that Canada provides some states to the United States. An additional payment of 25% will affect up to 1.5 million US homes.

“I feel awful for the American people because it is not the American people. This is not even chosen employees, it is one person,” he told a local radio show on Thursday in connection with Trump.

“He comes after his close friends, the closest allies in the world, and this will devastate both economies,” Ford said.

The Canadians support their country’s reciprocal actions, saying that they should stay in place until US tariffs are completely out of the table.

“You go to bed every night and you have no idea where you are,” Andrew, a buyer at an alcohol control store at Ontario (LCBO) in Toronto, who has stopped stocking alcoholic beverages created by the United States, such as Kentucky. Trump says he will slow down the tariffs, “But what does that mean?” he asks.

“Let’s keep (American drinks) from the shelves until we understand what things will be day by day.”

Tariffs are greeted with deep anxiety in Canada, whose bigger part of exports are sold to companies and customers in the United States. Officials estimate up to a million job losses if 25% beyond the tax on board continues, while economists warn that recession is inevitable if they continue.

The potential impact is sufficiently detrimental that the Canadian government has announced that it will bring relief measures similar to those implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic, to assist the affected persons and businesses.

Even when tariffs are temporarily scaled, only uncertainty hurts both the American and Canadian economy, says Rob Giolez, an assistant in economic analysis and politics at the University of Toronto.

“The most sensitive thing about uncertainty is business investment,” says Prof. Gyelieo, adding that companies “will not want to spend a penny anywhere” until they have any clarity.

Analysts suggest that the very breath of a trade war is probably worth the Canadian companies hundreds of thousands of dollars while trying to navigate through these changes and probably slow down transactions and violate trade due to confusion.

This thrill is too Seen on the stock exchangewhich has erased almost all his profits since Trump won the Presidency in November.

Trump has repeatedly said that tariffs are the response to the role of Mexico and Canada in the Fentanyl crisis, which has killed over 250,000 US from 2018.

While only a small part of the drug comes from Canada, press secretary Karen Levitt said that even these numbers were important to “families in this country who have lost close to this deadly poison.” Even small amounts of fentanyl can kill a large number of people, she added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the tariffs, suggesting that they are aligned with Trump’s request to see Canada to become the “51st State”.

“What he wants is to see a complete collapse of the Canadian economy because it will facilitate our annexation,” Trudeau told the media in Ottawa on Thursday.

Prof. Gyles notes that this is a particularly deep wound from a neighbor, whom Canada has long been considering his closest friend and ally.

The US and Canada are running together, boasting that they are the longest “continuous” shared borders in the world and have even participated in joint Arctic security missions to protect their sovereignty to each other.

“We have been allies for 100 years,” he says, adding that many Canadians are probably upset not only by how the United States is treating Canada, but also with other allies like Ukraine.

“We are a decent, honorary people and we stand next to our allies,” says Prof. Gyelieo. “I think this is what leads to the true depth of discontent we see.”

Canadian boycotts already have a significant impact. The Canadian Outlet Global News has announced that leisure reservations in the US have immersed themselves by 40% during the year, citing data from Flight Center Canada. This decline has also been observed in the border crossings between British Colombia and Washington State.

Prior to the US tariffs, the US was an international number one travel destination for Canadians who spent $ 20.5 billion ($ 15.89 billion) in the US tourist economy alone in 2024 alone.

Asked if this trend will stay, Professor Gyelle says that the Canadians ideally want the relationship to return to their normal neighborhood. But the consensus in the country is that “Canada has to find friends elsewhere.”