'A madness in the air.' Trump's threats unleash patriotic wave among Canadians

**‘Madness in the air’; Trump’s threats spark wave of patriotism among Canadians**

**By: The Canadian Press**
**Published: Feb. 5, 2025, 5:19 a.m. ET**

Canadian and U.S. flags fly outside a downtown Ottawa hotel, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.

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**FREDERICTON** – Daniel Miksha, an undergraduate at McGill University, made a big decision over the weekend.

After hearing that U.S. President Donald Trump planned to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian exports, Miksha decided to forgo applying to Boston, Yale and Harvard.

“I feel like the social and political climate in Canada is much better than what I see in the United States,” the fourth-year philosophy student said in an interview Tuesday. If I could choose where I spend the rest of my life, I would choose to stay here.”

His move is just one example of a growing wave of patriotism among Canadians since Trump took office, when he has ratcheted up his anti-Canada rhetoric and repeatedly said the country should become the 51st state of the United States. Online, people are sharing lists of Canadian-made products and writing about canceling trips to the United States. Pro-Canada and anti-Trump memes are also circulating on social media. At professional hockey and basketball games over the weekend, the American national anthem was booed.

“If you look at the reactions of people at sporting events, the sharing of information about boycotts of American products and the public expressions of dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, it’s pretty clear that patriotic sentiment has increased,” said Edward Schatz, a political science professor at the University of Toronto.

Although Trump agreed to delay the tariffs for a month after speaking with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, Schatz doesn’t expect the patriotic fervor to subside anytime soon.

**A sense of national pride is rising**

Mickshaw, a native of Calgary, has always celebrated Canada Day and observed Remembrance Day. While he has always had a “quiet pride” in being Canadian, he has never been one for overt displays of patriotism. But now, after hearing Trump’s words, he has decided not only to forgo applying to American universities but also to buy Canadian products wherever possible.

“I find Trump’s comment about Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States deeply offensive,” he said. Canada has a unique cultural history and heritage. “We have achievements like universal health care, which is one of the greatest achievements of Canadian society.”

According to an online poll conducted by the Leger Institute between Dec. 6 and 9, 2024, only 13 per cent of Canadians wanted the country to join the United States, while 82 per cent rejected the idea.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said Monday that Trump’s threats had sparked a “beautiful” wave of support for her country. “People are actively looking for ways to support Canadian producers and products,” she said. “But alongside that sentiment, there’s also a sense of anti-Americanism, a sense of frustration that our closest neighbour and trading partner has chosen to treat us this way.”

**Concerns about the future of Canada-U.S. relations**

Bradley Miller, a history professor at the University of British Columbia, said a combination of factors has fueled patriotic sentiment among Canadians, while anger toward the Trump administration is also growing.

“Canadians feel like they’ve done their job right since the 1988 free trade agreement,” he said. “But now they feel like they’ve been taken advantage of.”

“Things and agreements that were once taken for granted and taken for granted are now being questioned, and we’re left guessing what President Trump will do next, depending on the circumstances and his political interests.”

Stuart Priest, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, also said Trump’s recent rhetoric has made Canadians feel like they need to unite. “This is a moment when people need to come together and represent their country with a united front. We’ve seen many examples of that,” he said.

However, he stressed that patriotic sentiment is not uniform across the country, and Trump remains popular in some parts of Canada, particularly among right-wing populists.

Carmen Celestini, a professor of religious studies at the University of Waterloo, said Trump’s repeated threats could have long-term emotional effects on Canadians.

“This constant barrage of executive orders from Trump, as if he’s trying to economically annex a NATO member, is very problematic,” she said. “People are worried, and that fear is not going to go away anytime soon.”

“It’s like a dark cloud hanging over us because it’s not clear when one threat ends and the next one begins,” she added.