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I took the time to copy this entire article because I think the message is important.

"Canadian pride must not lead to anti-Americanism "
"Well, U.S. President Donald Trump has accomplished one incredible feat since his return to the White House. His threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on our goods and use “economic force” to turn us into the 51st state have contributed to a surge in Canadian patriotism over the last month. And nowhere is the shift in sentiment more dramatic than in Quebec.
According to an Angus Reid poll published Wednesday, the percentage of respondents across the country professing themselves “very proud” or “proud” to be Canadian leaped to 67 per cent in February from 58 per cent in December. And the percentage of those surveyed who said they have a “deep emotional attachment” to Canada jumped to 59 per cent from 49 per cent over the same period.
And despite our distinct-society status and nationalism, the biggest increase in people sharing these sentiments was in Quebec. The percentage of Quebec respondents reporting pride in Canada climbed to 58 per cent from 45 per cent, up 13 points. And the proportion of Quebecers questioned who expressed profound connection to Canada rose an astonishing 15 points, to 45 per cent from 30 per cent between December and February. Quebec still lags the rest of Canada, but it’s still notable. With his pointless and reckless tariffs — put on hold at the last minute Monday — Trump has achieved the remarkable. He has galvanized divided Canadians to a degree we haven’t seen in ages. And he has reminded Quebecers in particular that there are advantages to being part of the federation, even if nationalist and sovereignist political leaders often claim otherwise.
The Trump effect is also reshaping political fortunes. The federalist Quebec Liberal Party has shot to second place in opinion polls, neck and neck now with the ruling Coalition Avenir Québec at 21 per cent, according to Léger. Although the Parti Québécois is still in the lead at 30 per cent, we’ll see how the prospect of a sovereignty referendum in a first mandate affects voting intentions with the twin menaces of tariffs and a potential U.S. takeover looming. We’ll also see how the message that Canada is broken resonates as the federal and provincial governments work together with rare purpose. Even Quebec Premier François Legault is part of this united front, despite a history of preferring to go it alone.
Perhaps this is a silver lining for Canada to the Trump menace. We have been reminded of our shared values and things we may have been taking for granted. It has fostered a sense of unity. It has forced provinces to set aside their squabbles with each other and Ottawa and come together to tackle issues that have been left to fester for too long. There is talk of breaking down arcane and unproductive internal trade barriers, massive investments in infrastructure, improving productivity and co-operating to secure our vast natural resources for the good of all Canadians. Pivoting away from our biggest trading partner and strongest ally, because the United States may no longer be a reliable neighbour under Trump, will require sacrifices. Yet Canadians are firmly behind such policies — indeed, almost unanimously in some cases — according to the Angus Reid poll.
In the hours after he announced the tariffs Saturday, Canadians reacted swiftly, loudly — and uncharacteristically — when fans at National Hockey League games in Ottawa, Calgary and Toronto booed during the singing of the American anthem. Even since Trump paused the tariffs for 30 days after Canada agreed to appoint a fentanyl czar, the jeering has continued. As typically polite Canadians, we found our voices in high-profile venues to make clear what we think of Trump’s mistreatment. And if there’s a message patriotic Americans will understand, it’s disrespect during The Star-Spangled Banner. But the point has now been made. So we should refrain from taking out our umbrage on ordinary Americans, like peewee hockey players and their families attending a big tournament in Quebec City this weekend. The climate is so tense, Quebec City’s mayor and Quebec’s minister of sport implored the public to mind our manners.
For the one thing Trump’s reign must not do is turn us anti-American. Because that would be un-Canadian. We have every right to be angry at the disregard we’ve been shown since Trump was elected. And we can’t simply shove that aside. But we must not allow ourselves to hate the American people, no matter how much we despise what Trump is doing to us — and to them. It is important to remember that almost half of the country did not vote for Trump. Millions of Americans will suffer from the Trump administration’s moves to try to end birthright citizenship, deport “illegal” immigrants, suspend social programs, dismantle government departments, bypass Congress, seek vengeance on opponents, fire career civil servants, pull out of climate pacts, cast doubt on science, curtail the rights of transgender people, roll back abortion access, end diversity and inclusion programs, give unelected tech billionaire Elon Musk access to America’s bank accounts and taxpayers’ private data, pick fights with neighbours, shred the Constitution, invade other countries — and on and on and on.
Some Americans are living in terror. Some are as irate as we are about what’s happening to their once great country — as is evident from the many letters of apology and sympathy for Canada The Gazette has published this week. Some are still waking up to the reality of what they’ve done. There are plenty of MAGA sycophants, enablers and suck-ups who are helping Trump carry out his destructive agenda with no regard for laws, decency or the Constitution — and they deserve our disdain. But we can’t let them corrupt our cherished Canadian values of kindness, respect and politeness.

So amid our swell of pride and pique of ire, let’s buy Canadian, boycott American, re-evaluate our vacation plans, make jokes, memes and parodies, sing O Canada at the top of our lungs and show our national unity. But let’s not hate.

#Canpoli #Canada #Tariff #BoycottUSA

https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article738201.html