A group of citizens gathered to protest the tariffs imposed on Canada by the Donald Trump administration in front of the United States Consulate in Toronto on March 24.Andres Valenzuela/The Globe and Mail
Carol McLean drove eight hours to Toronto to join one of Monday’s protests at U.S. consulates across Canada, partly because American tariffs directly impact her hometown.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is home to Algoma Steel, which laid off some workers earlier this month in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel.
“Things are tense back home,” Ms. McLean said, huddling from the rain beneath a poncho spotted with red maple leaves. “Coming here may or may not make a difference, but at least I did everything I could.”
Hundreds attended Monday’s nationwide protests against Mr. Trump and his threats to Canada’s sovereignty and economy. The demonstrations were organized online by True North HQ, a grassroots movement formed last month.
Mr. Trump’s trade war with Canada and calls to make it the 51st U.S. state have upended the political climate in this country. Canada’s response to the U.S. is the main focus of all federal political leaders, who are now in the middle of a federal election campaign ahead of a vote on April 28.
In Ottawa, about 40 protesters gathered at the U.S. embassy on Sussex Drive.
“We’re here to tell Donald Trump that he can’t take our country away from us,” said Laurel Skinner, a protester.
The crowd waved Canadian and Ukrainian flags, with signs denouncing Mr. Trump as a tyrant. Cardboard cutouts depicted him and Russian President Vladimir Putin as handcuffed convicts in orange jumpsuits.
Gail Marlene Schwartz, an American, joined the protest not only to show support for Canada as it faces threats from Mr. Trump, but to stand up for honesty and democracy, which she said are “under siege.”
Ms. Schwartz moved to Ottawa after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the president is immune from criminal prosecution for any official decision or act.
“We knew that was the end of our country as we knew it,” she said, referring to the U.S.
In Toronto, about 100 people gathered across the street from the U.S. consulate, waving Canadian flags and placards denouncing President Trump.
“The threat is real, and I cannot and will not become American,” said Terry Teskey, wearing a flag like a cape.
NDP MP Charlie Angus led the crowd in chants of “elbows up,” and said he’s heard from friends all over the world expressing admiration for Canada’s resistance to Mr. Trump.
“We will never, ever be the 51st state,” he said. “This is our city, this is our country, this is our democracy and we will defend it.”
In Montreal, about three dozen protesters assembled in front of the U.S. consulate on Sainte-Catherine Street. Lori Sponagle, who is from Nova Scotia but now lives in Quebec, said anger brought her out to protest.
“We are a sovereign nation, and our values are different from America,” she said. “Somebody has to take the time to stand up and say: ‘No, this is not right.’”
Betsey Johnson, an American who was on vacation in Quebec with her sister, Kate, learned about the protest and decided to join: “I support your country, and I’m sorry that he’s trying to bully you,” she said of Mr. Trump.
Steve Green, left, and Mark Thompson arrive at the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver on March 24 for the 'Elbows Up' rally as part of a nationwide movement to protest U.S. President Trump’s interest in annexing Canada as the 51st state.Isabella Falsetti/The Globe and Mail
Strangers Steve Green and Mark Thompson were the first two of roughly 100 people to show up to the rush-hour protest outside downtown Vancouver’s consulate.
The night before, Mr. Green had seen a post about the demonstration on social media and decided to fly down from Terrace, B.C. in order to stand up to what he describes as the fascist undercurrents animating the American administration.
“It’s incredible how fast everything is just going upside down, right? And I don’t want to say, ‘Oh no, it can’t happen here,’” said the 58-year-old sporting a hat with a maple leaf on it.
Mr. Thompson, a 62-year-old local millwright, said he showed up to register his anger at the talk of annexation from a country of people he has long thought of as family.
Before his parent company laid him off in 2011, when it closed up its Canadian facilities to focus production in China and the United States, the Sarnia native used to build machine lines in Ann Arbor, Mich., and then transport them back up to Canada.
“Everybody referred to us over in the states as brothers and sisters in Canada, and in the last couple of years I started hearing no more of brothers and sisters but cousins,” said Mr. Thompson, who added that he had just cancelled two cruises that will dock in the U.S.
Other protests were planned on Monday at U.S. consulates in Quebec City, Calgary, Winnipeg and Halifax.