More than 100 demonstrate near U.S. consulate in Toronto in support of Canadian sovereignty

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 7:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

More than 100 radical demonstrated near the U.S. consulate successful Toronto connected Monday to amusement their enactment for Canadian sovereignty amid rising tensions with the U.S.

The rally was organized by True North Strong, a recently formed nationalist advocacy group that describes itself connected its website arsenic a "grassroots question based successful Canada, formed successful effect to the actions of the existent U.S. administration."

Organizer Ang Stratton said a fistful of people who were feeling frustrated and hopeless created the radical arsenic an outlet to explicit their concern about caller home and foreign policy changes made by U.S. President Donald Trump, including mass deportations and the shifting U.S. presumption connected Ukraine.

"As Canada, we basal for humanitarian issues," Stratton said.

"We conscionable privation to proceed to grow this assemblage of radical who attraction astir what happens to different radical successful the world, to bring radical together, and to person our voices heard. If it starts connected the streets, yet it volition hopefully make its mode to different places successful government, adjacent the U.S. administration, and things could commencement to change."

Stratton said her connection to different Canadians is not to springiness up hope.

Longtime bluish Ontario MP Charlie Angus, who spoke astatine the rally, said it's highly important for Canadians to travel unneurotic to amusement that Canada is strong. He has said helium won't question re-election.

"We volition never, ever, ever beryllium the 51 state," Angus said to the cheering crowd. 

Angus past led a chant of "elbows up!"

The "elbows up" hockey phrase — which originated with the legendary subordinate Gordie Howe — has become a rallying outcry aft comedian Mike Myers, who grew up in Scarborough, mouthed the words connected a March 1 occurrence of Saturday Night Live while wearing a "Canada is not for sale" T-shirt.

'This is our country,' MP says

In an interrogation earlier, Angus said: "This is our country. We are not giving it up. The full satellite is watching Canada close now. If Donald Trump tin endanger america and instrumentality distant our nation, helium tin bash it to anybody. But what's truly amazed Donald is that helium thought that we were going to beryllium pushovers." 

"Since we person seen these unprecedented threats against our nation, the insults against our people, the assertion that we don't adjacent person a close to beryllium arsenic a democratic, autarkic people, ordinary Canadians person been standing up."

The rally had to beryllium moved crossed the thoroughfare aft Toronto police asked the assemblage to permission the premises of the U.S. consulate.

Cathy Hunt, a demonstrator, said she was determination to amusement her enactment for Canada.

"I'm present to stand with my chap Canadians and let the United States, the American consulate, cognize that they cannot endanger our sovereignty," Hunt said. "We instrumentality it precise earnestly and we won't tolerate it."

Similar demonstrations planned successful cities crossed Canada

True North Strong planned akin demonstrations connected Monday successful beforehand of U.S. consulates in Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver and successful beforehand of the U.S. embassy successful Ottawa.

The objection successful Toronto comes aft a rally successful Nathan Phillips Square connected Saturday. That rally was billed as a "peaceful amusement of unity, resilience and strength" pursuing U.S. tariffs connected Canadian goods, Trump's insults and threats.

On March 4, the U.S. slapped 25 per cent tariffs connected Canadian goods. Most of those tariffs were subsequently paused until April 2. 

Trump is expected to present reciprocal tariffs connected April 2, which helium has argued volition beryllium based connected fairness: If a state has tariffs connected U.S. goods, it volition beryllium targeted. If a state has economical policies oregon commercialized barriers the Trump medication views arsenic unfair to American businesses and workers, it could besides beryllium hit. 

Canada has been told by Trump officials it volition beryllium deed with reciprocal tariffs, though it remains unclear what that tariff complaint volition be.