Canadians are boycotting American-made products, stores and cancelling trips to the States in protest of President Trump’s trade war and bad blood with their prime minister.
In defense of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shoppers are skipping out on Walmart, Starbucks and Florida oranges and instead turning to homegrown Canadian products.
The protest comes after Trump said he would punish ‘the people of Canada’ following Trudeau’s criticism of the US president’s tariffs at a post-G7 news conference.
His comments then sparked a Twitter tirade where Trump called Trudeau ‘very dishonest and weak’.
In defense of their prime minister Justin Trudeau, Canadian shoppers are skipping out on Walmart and Starbucks and buying homegrown goods
Canadians took to Twitter to express their disdain for the US president and described their plans for boycotting their neighboring country.
Popular hashtags have taken over Twitter, including #BuyCanadian, #BoycottUSProducts and #BoycottUSA.
Canadians are sharing tips via social media for how to shop for homegrown products.
One woman suggested shopping at Tim Horton’s instead of Starbucks and going to Rossy instead of Walmart.
Another man said: ‘I have traditionally contributed thousands to the US economy each year. Not until this guy is history. #Boycott USA.’
Some are even cancelling vacations to the US and instead, flying or driving through different regions in Canada.
One Toronto resident said: ‘I was planning a road trip that would take me through Maine on my way to NS. Now I can’t fathom spending any of my hard earned cash in your country. I don’t blame the citizens but I gather you can understand the position the rest of the world is in. #BoycottUSA’
Trudeau himself acknowledged the support of the public while at Parliament this week.
‘There’s a bit of a patriotic boost going on these past few days,’ he said.
Speaking at a press conference in Singapore on Tuesday, Trump said he decided to back out of the G7 communique after watching Trudeau’s closing summit news conference.
It was there the prime minister warned that Canada would ‘not be pushed around’ on tariffs – a point Trudeau had made several times before.
‘He’ll learn that’s going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He’ll learn, he can’t do that,’ Trump said.
The president has imposed tariffs of 25 and 10 per cent on aluminum and steel from Canada and other countries.
The president also said the Canadian leader must not have realized that Trump had televisions on Air Force One, allowing him to monitor Trudeau’s news conference.
‘I think that Justin probably didn’t know that Air Force One has about 20 televisions,’ he said.
Trump recalled watching Trudeau’s press conference in an interview with ABC News.
‘He talked about how they won’t be bullied. And I said “What’s this all about? He didn’t do that to my face, what’s this all about?” But here’s what the story is: We have been taken advantage of as a country for decades by friends and enemies both,’ Trump said. ‘Our trade is a disaster, our trade deals.’
Following the president’s comments, White House aide Peter Navarro said there is a ‘special place in hell’ for leaders like Trudeau who engage in ‘bad faith diplomacy’ with President Trump.