Canadian fans boo US anthem as tariffs spur 'buy local' pledge

Just hours after President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on Canada, hockey fans in Ottawa booed the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a National Hockey League (NHL) game against a visiting American team. This was followed by a similar display at a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers, where the booing lasted throughout the song, nearly drowning out the live performance of a 15-year-old singer.

The strong displeasure expressed by these usually respectful fans clearly demonstrates the deep disappointment Canadians feel towards Trump's move, which threatens to ignite an unprecedented trade war on the North American continent. Trump’s 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods imported to the U.S., and a lower 10% tariff on energy, are set to take effect on Tuesday. Meanwhile, President Trump has reiterated his call for Canada to join the U.S. as its 51st state, a request that is no longer being seen as a joke.

While many economists predict the tariffs will also raise prices for everyday necessities, from gasoline to groceries, for Americans, Canada is the more vulnerable trading partner. The country could face a painful economic recession if the tariffs last for months. Anger is mounting, along with a desire to retaliate, which has been echoed by political leaders across the country of 40 million people. “Many of us will be affected, and we will face some difficult times. I ask you to support each other,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a Saturday evening address, “Now is the time to choose Canada.”

Some Canadians have already responded to the call for solidarity. On social media, guides are circulating on how to avoid purchasing American-made products. One local grocery store in Toronto has even started labeling its Canadian yogurt for shoppers. Others have said they will cancel travel plans to the U.S., or forego trips to the country altogether. “Yesterday, in response to Trump’s tariffs, we canceled our family’s spring break trip to the US,” Canadian author Seth Klein wrote on Bluesky on Sunday, “The train ticket cancellation cost a bit, but it was necessary.” In some Canadian provinces, particularly the most populous, Ontario, American alcohol will begin to be removed from shelves indefinitely starting Tuesday.

Furthermore, Canada has said it will impose retaliatory tariffs on C$155 billion ($105 billion; £86 billion) worth of U.S. goods, including vegetables, clothing, sporting equipment, perfumes, and other items. Goods from Republican-led states, such as Florida orange juice, are being specifically targeted. The U.S. imports more oil from Canada than any other country, and the Trudeau government has said that “all options are on the table” for further retaliation. Trump’s follow-through on his threat of high tariffs, long speculated to be a negotiating tactic for concessions on border security, has left Canadians perplexed, given their decades of close economic, social, and security ties with the U.S.

“It’s shocking,” Michael Ignatieff, a former leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, told the BBC. “We’ve entered a new world where the question of whether you can trust the United States becomes a fundamental question in every country’s foreign policy.” Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre on Sunday called the tariffs “massive, unjust and unwarranted.” He said, “Canada is the closest neighbor, greatest ally and best friend of the United States,” noting that Canada had fought alongside the U.S. in two world wars, as well as in Korea and Afghanistan. “There is no justification for this treatment.” In his Saturday address, Prime Minister Trudeau questioned why the U.S. would target Canada, rather than pursue “more challenging areas of the world.”

Part of his address was directed at Americans, where he pointed out the shared history of bloodshed. “We have fought alongside you, and sacrificed alongside you,” Trudeau said. Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa specializing in national security, told the BBC that Trump’s tariffs “undoubtedly represent an earthquake in Canada-U.S. relations.” Professor Juneau said, “This is extremely destabilizing for Canada. As a country, we have benefited immensely for decades from an extremely close trade and security partnership with the United States.”

While a trade war may force Canada to look for partners elsewhere, it cannot ultimately escape the constraints of geography, he said, and Canada will still be dependent on its neighboring economic superpower. “That’s why it is absolutely crucial for Canada right now to focus as much as possible on salvaging this relationship,” Professor Juneau said. The biggest unknown remains how long the U.S. will maintain the tariffs, and what steps Canada may take to appease the Trump administration, which has said it expects action on cross-border fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration. The longer the tariffs last, the more severe the impact will be. Canada could be in a recession within five to six months, with unemployment potentially exceeding 7%.

Theo Argitis, managing director of Compass Rose Group, a public affairs firm based in Ottawa, said the unknowns leave Canada with no choice “but to hit back (at Trump) hard.” “At the end of the day, we don’t even know why he’s doing this,” Argitis told the BBC. Trump has said one key reason is the flow of the highly toxic and deadly drug fentanyl into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. U.S. officials have said the tariffs will remain in place until “the crisis is mitigated.” In response, the Canadian government has pointed out that less than 1% of fentanyl and illegal border crossings into the U.S. come from Canada. Canada has offered to spend an additional C$1.3 billion to strengthen security at the U.S.-Canada border.

But Trump has also spoken publicly about his displeasure with the trade deficit between Canada and the U.S., and more broadly, the belief that tariffs can serve as a source of revenue for Washington. On Sunday, he wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. does not need Canadian products and stated that the U.S. pays “hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidize Canada.” “Without this massive subsidy, Canada would no longer be a viable country,” Trump wrote, before reiterating his view that Canada should become a U.S. state. He warned that if Canada chooses to retaliate, the White House would impose even harsher penalties on Canada. For now, Canada has chosen to try to inflict some targeted pain on its more powerful neighbor, even if the economic scales are tipped against it. “We would much rather resolve disputes through diplomacy,” Trudeau told his country on Saturday, “but we are ready to fight if we have to.”