As a Canadian, I’ve been asked a few too many times if we’re really as nice as we seem. Well, the stereotypes are true. Canadians are, generally, a polite, reserved and yes, “nice” bunch. We take our shoes off when we go into a home. We apologize for anything and everything. One professor at the University of Toronto even noted that we have relatively low murder rates, as “it’s quite rude to murder someone.”
More recently, Canadians have begun to distance themselves from these stereotypes and are absolutely justified in doing so. As a result of President Donald Trump’s referrals to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a “governor” and references to Canada as “the 51st state,” Canadians are fearing for their sovereignty.
Canadians have reacted in some not-so-nice ways to these threats. We’ve been booing Americans as they step onto the ice at international sports events like the 4 Nations Face-Off. Grocery stores are trying to label products which were made in Canada. And Ontario’s government-run liquor store, the LCBO, has stopped selling all U.S. products as a response to American threats on Canadian goods amid tenuous tariff relations.
While this behavior has increased tensions between Canadians and Americans, it serves as a much needed outlet for Canadian frustrations. Managing geopolitical tensions involves diplomatic talks, which happen above our heads and out of our sights. Taking action everyday allows Canadians to make themselves a part of this battle by projecting their anger at events seen on American televisions.
We know that it can come off like we’re yelling at the American people, but we’re definitely not. We’re just publicly reacting to a set of policies which are explicitly designed to hurt, and even annex, us. This nuance certainly can get lost while we’re booing an anthem. But being nice isn’t exactly at the forefront of our minds when our passports are at risk.
Even if you don’t believe that we’re not frustrated with Americans, it’s clear that it’s in both of our best interests to get along. Canadians’ lives are deeply connected to Americans’. We have a bi-national aerospace protection program, a specific immigration path for crossing our shared border and personally, I’d like to keep my American boyfriend around.
It’s not only the Canadian-American relationship which is being turned on its head. The relationships between Canadians and their country has shifted drastically. In early February, a poll noted that nationwide, Canadian patriotism had increased by 9 percent since before the economic threats began. From seeing Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford wear “Canada is Not for Sale” merchandise to seeing edits about Canada’s geography on my TikTok feed for the first time, we’re all united behind a common cause and our country’s name.
But it’s important that we don’t take this sentiment too far and irreparably damage our relationship with Americans. Scottish philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre outlines how if we treat patriotism as a virtue, it can allow us to develop a more moderate relationship with our country. By applying this philosophy to Canadian patriotism, instead of acting in excess to the trade war, by cutting off all the Americans in your life, or in deficiency, by pretending that the trade war isn’t happening, Canadians can reach a mean between these extremes. They can manage frustrations by being slightly less nice and can focus on buying domestically.
The next time someone asks me if Canadians are really that nice, I’ll tell them that it’s complicated. We’ll happily take our shoes off to walk into your house, but we’re not going to step aside when our country is being threatened.
