Staff Reports
The latest episode in the ongoing saga of Canada’s entertainment industry features former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland making a spectacle over President Trump’s supposed violations of their esteemed “sovereignty.” While Freeland was talking tough on CNN’s Sunday show hosted by Fareed Zakaria, one could almost hear Canadians collectively clutching their flannel shirts in indignation.
Freeland seemed particularly worked up about Americans possibly boycotting Canadian goods and the audacity of Trump’s trade policies, which she took to mean a threat not just to the Canadian economy, but to Canada’s very dignity. Her dramatic declaration of fury among Canadians sounded more like a rallying cry than a diplomatic comment. Apparently, the Canadian public is rallying to boycott American goods, presumably while sipping maple syrup and wearing hockey jerseys. This is what happens when one country’s leader challenges another’s perceived superiority: gloves come off and the trade war of words begins.
When asked about oil and other imports, Freeland appeared ready to turn this issue into a full-blown national referendum on Canadian pride. It’s almost comical how a discussion about tariffs can lead to such high-pitched sentiments. One can assume that the suggestion of a cease-and-desist on buying American is an act of retaliation as fierce as a Canadian snowstorm in mid-January. Freeland’s portrayal of average Canadians banding together over oil and grocery aisle tactics could easily be mistaken for a plot twist in a low-budget action movie.
Freeland thinks Canadians are "furious" about Trump?
Wow, what a surprise!
Maybe they’re just mad they can’t handle the truth!
Trump challenges their sovereignty?
Please, someone tell me how he’s doing that while they’re busy playing nice wit… https://t.co/0GIx4USNTF
— NahBabyNah (@NahBabyNah) February 2, 2025
Of course, Freeland was also keen to inform the public that these sentiments stem from a kind of primal, animalistic outrage at the mere hint of weakness. It begs the question: what’s next? Will Canadians unite to create a national “Keep It Canadian” slogan? Maybe they’ll take the long view on freezer sections, stocking only Canadian bacon and Kraft Dinner while ditching that inferior American pizza. That’s some fierce diplomacy right there.
In the end, the supposed unity and strength that Freeland promised serves as a rather entertaining reminder of the comparison between the U.S. and Canada. While Americans grapple with a myriad of economic and political issues, it turns out the Canadians are more focused on gathering their pitchforks—or perhaps hockey sticks—in solidarity against a perceived threat from their southern neighbor. In the world of trade wars and international friendships, one thing is for sure: the diplomatic ice is unfriendly and the tensions are palpable, wrapped neatly in an inflatable moose costume that is Canadian identity.
