Trump tariffs spark Canada fury: ’Polite’ neighbour ditches all things American

In 2025, United States President Donald Trump imposed significant tariffs on Canadian goods, including a 25 per cent duty on steel and aluminium with a bulk due in early April, accusing its neighbour of “ripping off” the American land.

The move to impose tariffs was perceived by many Canadians as an economic assault on their country, leading to a surge in national unity and a collective pushback against all things American.

It did not just happen overnight.

The animosity against the United States started to brew when Donald Trump started threatening sweeping tariffs on the country, while mocking then PM Justin Trudeau as “Governor” and referring to Canada as the “51st state of America”.

Despite Justin Trudeau's attempts to derail the “dumb” tariff plans – which also included him visiting Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his victory in the elections – the US president went ahead with his assault plans on what he called an “emergency situation”.

Canada, of course, hit back with retaliatory tariffs.

But that was not all. The “polite” Canadians pushed back together by calling for the fellow citizens to boycott all products American and switch to local products.

From reshelving US liquor and replacing them with Canadian booze to cancelling trips to the neighbouring country to opting for “Canadianos” instead of Americanos to replacing US tech giant Amazon with China's Temu, there is a rage among Canadians to protect their own.

“If there’s no Canadian lettuce, I’ll look for Mexican lettuce,” said a Canadian.

This happened at a time of growing discontent with Justin Trudeau, ultimately leading to his resignation.

“It’s an attack on Canada. We, as Canadians, don’t go out and try to create fights,” said a Canadian who runs an online directory store ‘Made in Canada’.

"I can tell you that Canadians right now are upset, we’re angry, we’re dismayed. I know of people who have said, ‘I’m never going to step foot on that side of the border again,” a Canadian citizen, John Liedtke, was quoted as saying by CNN.

The United States was the top destination for Canadian tourists, with 20.4 million visits reported last year by the US Travel Association, pumping some US$20.5 billion into the American economy and supporting 140,000 jobs.

But since the Trump tariffs, Canadians are cancelling their plans to vacation in the United States.

“We don't want to support the United States. It's a matter of principle,” said Rosalie Cote who has vacationed in Maine with her parents, according to AFP.

Romane Gauvreau cancelled her mountain biking trip to Vermont and a family vacation to Maine over the political happenings in the US. “We don't want to go to a place where democracy is in danger, where people suffer great injustices, and where people are being deported,” he said.

According to Flight Centre Canada, bookings to US destinations in February dropped 40 per cent compared to the same month last year, while 20 per cent of existing reservations were cancelled.

But ‘boycott America’ has come up with calls to “Choose Canada” because, for Canadians, “it's about standing up" for their country against their neighbour which “plays dirty tricks”.