Fans of Canadian NHL teams loudly booed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at games across Canada over the weekend after President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on most goods from the country.
The Trump administration announced Saturday that it will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, with Canadian energy products facing a 10% tariff.
As a result, prices for a wide range of products—including cars, gas, smartphones, and fresh vegetables—are expected to rise. The U.S. also relies heavily on Canadian lumber, meaning home construction costs could increase. Even frozen French fries, a major import from Canada, may see a price hike.
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to retaliate with 25% tariffs on more than $105 billion worth of U.S. goods. This represents nearly a third of the $322.2 billion in U.S. exports to Canada in the first 11 months of 2024, according to U.S. census data.
The first wave of tariffs—affecting $20 billion worth of goods, including alcohol, coffee, clothing, and shoes—will take effect Tuesday, with the remainder set to roll out in three weeks.
Amid all this, fans of the Ottawa Senators in Canada’s capital city largely booed during a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of their NHL game against the Minnesota Wild, according to clips shared on X.
A similar reaction was captured at a Calgary Flames game, where fans also booed the U.S. national anthem, as seen in a video posted by Edmonton radio host Courtney Theriault.
Canadian hockey fans have previously shown support for the U.S. anthem, even stepping in to sing when performers faced technical difficulties in recent years. The recent wave of boos, however, marks a striking shift in tone.
And many can't blame the Canadians at all.
In response to the tariffs, Canadian prime minister candidate Chrystia Freeland said they are “a betrayal of America’s closest friend.”
Freeland, a former foreign minister with experience negotiating with Trump, dismissed the use of fentanyl as a justification for the tariffs, calling it “ludicrous” and “utter madness.” She warned that the tariffs threaten Canada’s “very sovereignty.”
She stressed that Canadians "have more leverage than Americans think. Canada is the largest market for the United States — larger than China, Japan, the U.K. and France, combined — and we know Americans."
Noting that Americans tend to believe that "the customer is always right," she said that Canada is the U.S.'s "biggest customer" and that "it doesn’t make a lot of sense to be punching us in the face."
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