America’s favorite Canadian shared a message for President Donald Trump.
Pierre Poilievre, a far-right candidate to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister who is popular among American conservatives, put President Donald Trump on blast.
Poilievre held a Flag Day rally in Ottawa where he addressed Trump’s tariffs on his country’s goods and also addressed rhetoric from the president about annexing Canada. According to Politico, Poilievre vowed to retaliate to any moves Trump made that harmed Canada and also said the country would “seek friends elsewhere” if Trump did not dial it back.
In a message aimed squarely at Trump’s challenges to Canada’s sovereignty, Poilievre said, “Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state.” Politico reported on Saturday’s event:
Poilievre had focused his “change” campaign on overturning Trudeau’s carbon policy. However since the start of Trump’s trade war a new ballot box question has emerged: Which Canadian leader will best defend their interests against the U.S.?
At his “Canada First” rally, Poilievre tackled the question head-on, laying out his vision for the country should he become prime minister, while leaning heavily on Canadian symbols and its history. He promised to “end cancel culture,” restore national monuments and make it a criminal offense to deface them, to expand Canada’s military and to update the citizenship oath with more patriotic language.
“Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become,” Poilievre said, pointing to an upsurge in patriotism.
