The decline in relations after the 25% tariff launched by U.S. President Donald Trump on imported goods from Canada and Mexico saw Canadian consumers opting out of U.S. goods. Trump offered a temporary exemption from tariffs recently for some of the imports but the mood does not seem any different in Canada.
At a Canadian Loblaws supermarket, boxes of Florida strawberries, although deeply discounted at CAD 1.99 (approximately Rs 120 or $1.38), remained unsold. Consumers, when they noticed the strawberries were from America, would take the boxes and return them to the shelf. A Reddit user shared a picture of the unpurchased strawberries with the caption, “$1.99 Pint of Florida Strawberries. No one was touching them.”
1.99 Pint of Florida Strawberries. No one was touching them.
byu/Time_Chemistry5230 inBuyCanadian
The post on the ‘Buy Canadian’ subreddit gained massive support from Canadians who wanted to boycott American goods. One of the commenters wrote, “I love rage Canada,” and another one wrote, “Man this summer Canadian farmers are going to be in their glory.” Others also shared the same sentiments, with one of them writing, “I put so much stuff back on the shelf after seeing it is American! There is always an alternative! Vote with your money!”
Even an American expressed solidarity with the Canadians’ position, stating, “I’m from Florida, and I love seeing this shit. Stand proud Canadian brothers and sisters. This too shall pass.”
To go along with the trade tensions, Trump’s prior remarks about suggesting that Canada remain as the 51st American state have strained the relations between the two. Trump had noted, “I think Canada would be much better off being the 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada.” In reaction to this, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau staunchly denied this claim, declaring, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”
Canada is currently gearing up for a change in leadership, with Mark Carney being voted in as the new Prime Minister. Carney has vowed to resist Trump’s trade policies, stating, “Americans should make no mistake. In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.”
The current tensions and responses in Canada reflect the widening gap between the two countries in the face of trade tensions and political differences.
