'Elbows up Canada:' Windsor community protests U.S. in cross-border rally

Kathleen Saylors · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 8:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The connection from hundreds who rallied astatine Windsor's riverfront connected Saturday was clear: Canada is beardown and proud. 

But determination was besides disappointment and disillusionment — sometimes expressed with a clever motion taped to a hockey instrumentality — astir the rhetoric of the U.S. medication toward its closest ally. 

"I deliberation that we person ever taken things for granted and we can't instrumentality them for granted anymore," said Anne Coulter, one of galore hundreds of radical who filled the plaza astatine the basal of Windsor's Canadian emblem astatine Riverside Drive and Ouellette Avenue. 

 "I deliberation someway we person to basal up for our state and I don't cognize however to bash it different than coming and showing our support."

The rally was mirrored by 1 crossed the stream successful Detroit's Hart Plaza. Earlier this week organizers told CBC the dual rallies were meant to amusement the U.S. medication that Canadians and Americans basal unneurotic successful rejecting threats to tariff and annex Canada. 

"I was precise impressed to yet spot idiosyncratic from Michigan saying they wanted to enactment us," said Canadian Carol Wilhelm. 

People who spoke with CBC emphasized their emotion for the U.S., but said they're upset with the rhetoric coming from the White House. Many said they've made changes successful response, similar buying Canadian and cancelling U.S. travel.

That includes Lynn McLaughlin, who brought a motion that work "Let's settee this implicit coffee: Your Starbucks, my Timmies."

"I absorption connected what I tin control," she said. "I tin power what I take to do, however I walk my money, and however I usage my dependable successful a benignant and affable way, which is the crushed for this sign."

McLaughlin said she has American household and friends, and she has large respect for the U.S., but came retired to propulsion backmost against threats from the existent administration.

"We are truthful overmuch stronger together," she said.

Klaus Dohring said he's primitively from Germany and has worked antecedently successful the U.S., but is gladsome to call Canada his home.

"I'm present by choice. I bash not admit anymore what's going connected successful the U.S.," Dohring said.

Other rally attendees suggested the Detroit River beryllium renamed the Windsor River. Many carried signs: One read "Keep your Cheeto hands disconnected Canada," portion "Elbows up," was a fashionable slogan. 

Trump has repeatedly spoken astir Canada arsenic the 51st state, has imposed oregon threatened hefty tariffs connected Canadian goods, and reportedly expressed involvement successful redrawing the boundaries of the 2 countries portion connected a telephone with erstwhile Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

That prompted Trudeau to remark that the U.S. tariffs are not astir fentanyl, arsenic Trump has said successful the past, but astir the "total illness of the Canadian economy," truthful the U.S. could annex the country. 

Canadian organizer Elaine Weeks said she got progressive successful putting unneurotic the protestation due to the fact that she was "tired of not being capable to slumber astatine night."

"This is conscionable insanity what's happening. Canada's ne'er been successful this presumption before," Weeks said. "They asked maine to measurement up and I thought, OK I'm conscionable going to bash it."

Weeks said adjacent if the U.S. backs down, it volition beryllium hard to instrumentality to the mode things were, adjacent successful a borderline municipality similar Windsor with adjacent American ties.

"There's ever going to beryllium that consciousness of, 'really, you did that to us. You looked astatine america similar we were abruptly the force erstwhile we are your friends and allies,'" she said.

"That's that's the happening I consciousness each greeting erstwhile I aftermath up, benignant of, 'OK, Is this the caller normal?'"