When President Trump imposed his first round of tariffs a year and a half ago, Canadians launched a grassroots campaign to push back, boycotting U.S. alcohol, produce and travel.
They rallied behind the flag, scrutinizing product labels and choosing domestic options, while Prime Minister Mark Carney sought new trade alliances overseas. Across the nation, Canadians adopted the phrase “elbows up,” a defiant expression popularized by comedian Mike Myers and rooted in hockey culture.
With new and looming tariffs jeopardizing jobs and the survival of businesses of all sizes, Canadians show no sign of backing down.
“We’re holding our ground rather than being bullied on the global stage,” said Daniel Fehr, a plant‑accessories retailer in Steinbach, Manitoba, who had pre‑stocked his U.S. warehouses ahead of the trade‑negotiation deadline. Once those stocks are depleted, his company, Daniel’s Plants, will ship exclusively domestically, as the new cost of operating in the United States is unsustainable for him.
“The stark reality is that this high‑stakes game of chicken directly impacts real people’s businesses and livelihoods,” Fehr remarked.
A wave of patriotic resolve and defiant spirit has taken hold across Canada as Carney withdrew his negotiating team from Washington and enacted matching counter‑tariffs.
Many Canadians who have tracked the tariff saga since the United States first introduced them in March 2025 say the latest, harsher measures have sparked a similarly determined outlook.
“It actually makes us eager for a showdown,” said Loys Maingon, a retired biologist in Courtenay, British Columbia. “We’ve had enough.”
Last Saturday, the Trump administration began penalizing Canada for what it views as discriminatory trade practices, imposing a 50 percent tariff on $20 billion of Canadian exports—ranging from buoys and textiles to Christmas lights.
Canadian officials had leveraged the initial tariff threat to bring the United States back to the table. Over the past weeks, negotiations sought a more favorable arrangement for both sides, and Trump granted a three‑day extension to allow officials to finalize paperwork.
Just hours before Friday’s midnight deadline, Carney ordered his officials to withdraw. “When you’re attacked, you’re at war, and we were attacked,” he told journalists the following morning.
As Carney noted, Canada now occupies a stronger footing, having forged fresh economic partnerships over the past year—such as an automotive deal with South Korea, tariff reductions with China and a pioneering agreement to supply energy to Germany. Ottawa also mended diplomatic relations with India, securing a deal to resume uranium exports.
Bolstered by these developments, Canadian political leaders have adopted an assertive, sometimes aggressive, stance in recent weeks.
“If you’re picking fights with Canadians, you won’t find a friend anywhere,” said British Columbia Premier David Eby. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew urged the country to press on. “We have the advantage,” he declared.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford—who rose to prominence as “Captain Canada” during the initial tariff surge—escalated the rhetoric, repeatedly telling Trump to “kiss” his backside on Monday media appearances. Trump responded on social media, mocking Ford and even suggesting renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
“We’re uncertain how far the escalation will go,” said Keenan Sprague, president of Sprague Foods, a Belleville, Ontario cannery. Although canned goods aren’t hit by the newest tariffs, they were subject to the 10 percent duties introduced in June, and Sprague fears a sudden change.
Some Canadian firms will need to turn to domestic suppliers. Monique Muller, owner of Magical Memories Gifting Co., a giftware boutique in Delta, British Columbia, worries that some suppliers may seize the moment to raise prices—a risk that could be especially harsh for women‑owned artisanal businesses.
“I hope I can survive this, but only time will tell,” Muller said.
For Jordan Skulmoski, a third‑generation beekeeper and founder of TNJ Farms near Edmonton, Alberta, the timing is particularly unfortunate. As the honey harvest season draws to a close, beekeepers are finalizing bulk sales arrangements.
The prairie provinces are Canada’s leading honey exporters. Approximately 56 percent of Canada’s honey exports last year were destined for the United States, making it the top foreign market, ahead of Japan.
“People always overlook us when it comes to bees,” Skulmoski noted, compared with other agricultural sectors.
Prompted by the tariffs, Skulmoski has, for the first time in several years, chosen to bottle his honey and sell it directly to consumers at his local farmers’ market, avoiding the hit from cross‑border shipping.
“The downside is that I’m now waiting,” he said. “I’m holding onto my honey, hoping it sells gradually instead of all at once.”
