'Elbows up Canada:' Windsor community protests U.S. in cross-border rally
Windsor's riverfront rally was mirrored by a rally in downtown Detroit Saturday
The message from hundreds who rallied at Windsor's riverfront on Saturday was clear: Canada is strong and proud.
But there was also disappointment and disillusionment — sometimes expressed with a clever sign taped to a hockey stick — about the rhetoric of the U.S. administration toward its closest ally.
"I think that we have always taken things for granted and we can't take them for granted anymore," said Anne Coulter, one of many hundreds of people who filled the plaza at the base of Windsor's Canadian flag at Riverside Drive and Ouellette Avenue.
"I think somehow we have to stand up for our country and I don't know how to do it other than coming and showing our support."
The rally was mirrored by one across the river in Detroit's Hart Plaza. Earlier this week organizers told CBC the dual rallies were meant to show the U.S. administration that Canadians and Americans stand together in rejecting threats to tariff and annex Canada.
"I was very impressed to finally see someone from Michigan saying they wanted to support us," said Canadian Carol Wilhelm.
People who spoke with CBC emphasized their love for the U.S., but said they're upset with the rhetoric coming from the White House. Many said they've made changes in response, like buying Canadian and cancelling U.S. travel.
That includes Lynn McLaughlin, who brought a sign that read "Let's settle this over coffee: Your Starbucks, my Timmies."
"I focus on what I can control," she said. "I can control what I choose to do, how I spend my money, and how I use my voice in a kind and friendly way, which is the reason for this sign."
McLaughlin said she has American family and friends, and she has great respect for the U.S., but came out to push back against threats from the current administration.
"We are so much stronger together," she said.
Klaus Dohring said he's originally from Germany and has worked previously in the U.S., but is glad to call Canada his home.
"I'm here by choice. I do not recognize anymore what's going on in the U.S.," Dohring said.
Other rally attendees suggested the Detroit River be renamed the Windsor River. Many carried signs: One read "Keep your Cheeto hands off Canada," while "Elbows up," was a popular slogan.
Trump has repeatedly spoken about Canada as the 51st state, has imposed or threatened hefty tariffs on Canadian goods, and reportedly expressed interest in redrawing the boundaries of the two countries while on a call with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
That prompted Trudeau to comment that the U.S. tariffs are not about fentanyl, as Trump has said in the past, but about the "total collapse of the Canadian economy," so the U.S. could annex the country.
Canadian organizer Elaine Weeks said she got involved in putting together the protest because she was "tired of not being able to sleep at night."
"This is just insanity what's happening. Canada's never been in this position before," Weeks said. "They asked me to step up and I thought, OK I'm just going to do it."
Weeks said even if the U.S. backs down, it will be difficult to return to the way things were, even in a border town like Windsor with close American ties.
"There's always going to be that sense of, 'really, you did that to us. You looked at us like we were suddenly the enemy when we are your friends and allies,'" she said.
"That's that's the thing I feel every morning when I wake up, sort of, 'OK, Is this the new normal?'"
