Canadians protest US tariffs with pocketbooks

World
Europe

02:21

Canada has implemented import tariffs on US goods worth almost 13 billion dollars to retaliate against US steel and aluminum tariffs.

Halton Hills, a Toronto suburb, recently passed a resolution to encourage its residents to boycott US products.

Rick Bonnette, the region's mayor, said he pushed for the resolution after the US imposed import tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum for national security reasons.

"There's time you have to show Canadian backbone instead of Canadian backbacon," said Bonnette.

The mayor said that the boycott really gained momentum after Donald Trump's appearance at the June G7 summit.

After the meeting, Trump called Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "meek and mild" and "dishonest and weak" in a tweet. It was in response to the statement from Trudeau, which said that Canadians are polite and reasonable but will not be pushed around.

US President Donald Trump (L) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet at the G7 Summit in Canada. /VCG Photo

While the Canadian government has targeted items to maximize the political pain on states that voted for Donald Trump, Canadians are also trying to make a statement with their wallets by boycotting US goods and traveling to the US.

Canada is the largest source country of international travel to the United States. In 2016, more than 19 million Canadians visited the US. But many Canadians changed their travel destination after the G7 summit.

“Avoiding travel to US perhaps a more effective way to hit the US economy,” said Bonnette.