B.C.-Washington border communities rally for peace amid rising political tensions

Shaurya Kshatri · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 9:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The towering Peace Arch monument, lasting connected the Canada-U.S. borderline betwixt Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., bears 2 inscriptions: "Children of a Common Mother" connected the U.S. side, and "Brethren Dwelling Together successful Unity" connected the Canadian side. 

On Saturday morning, dozens of residents from some countries gathered astatine its basal for a rally calling for unity and relationship amid rising tensions betwixt Canada and the U.S.

Attendees held signs condemning U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated remarks astir annexing Canada arsenic the 51st state, portion others sang songs and chanted slogans, hoping diplomacy and goodwill would prevail implicit the strained relations betwixt the 2 neighbours.

Among them, a trio from the Bellingham-based activistic radical Raging Grannies dedicated a opus to the enslaved betwixt the 2 nations.

"We recognize the concern and enactment the things you do, the rage you consciousness is truly just, though we volition miss you until it's over..." they sang.

Haidee Landry, 1 of the event's organizers from Langley, B.C., said the gathering, dubbed the "Peace, Love, and a Handshake" rally, was astir showing solidarity portion making it wide that Canada volition stay a beardown and sovereign nation.

"We privation them to inactive travel … travel for a coffee, travel for a meal, we inactive emotion you," she said of B.C.'s American neighbours. "But we don't privation to unrecorded with you, we don't privation to beryllium your roommates."

Landry added that galore Americans she has spoken to disagree with the steps taken by the Trump medication and person voiced their enactment for Canada. But Canadians, she said, are steadfast successful their determination to debar cross-border question arsenic an enactment of resistance.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nine-hectare Peace Arch parkland that straddles the 49th parallel served arsenic a loophole for loved ones separated by borderline closures. Now, Landry said, the parkland is erstwhile again a gathering spot for those seeking communal ground.

Mary Lou Steward, politician of Blaine, Wash., a borderline municipality of astir 6,200, said the determination by galore Canadians to debar entering the U.S. is already taking an economical toll.

"People are seeing their concern down 30 per cent," said Steward, who was besides successful attendance. "We worth the Canadians coming across, I recognize they're aggravated … we'll get beyond this, we'll enactment hard to repair the relationship, which this monument stands for."

Len Saunders, an migration lawyer successful Blaine, said the lack of Canadian shoppers is striking.

"This is similar COVID each implicit again," helium told CBC News during an interrogation earlier this week. "You tin spot it successful the Costco parking lot, astatine Trader Joe's. Canadians are voting with their wallets close now. That's what's happening."

Recent information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a crisp diminution successful cross-border travel, with astir 500,000 less Canadian travellers entering the U.S. successful February compared to the aforesaid period past year.

The fig of B.C. drivers heading southbound done the Peace Arch borderline crossing has besides dropped importantly this year, according to information from the Whatcom Council of Governments. A rolling 30-day mean of crossings done the borderline shows astir a 25 per cent alteration compared to 2024.

WATCH | B.C. cross-border postulation drops 25% amid tariffs and Trump's threats: 

"We're lone 2 months into a four-year administration. If they support this up determination volition beryllium nary Canadians coming down present — determination volition beryllium a 100 per cent boycott of this country," Saunders said.

For immoderate attendees Saturday, the rally was a mode to propulsion backmost against the rhetoric coming from Washington, D.C.

"I americium sorry, Canada … astir of america bash not hold with what Trump is doing," said Jim Kosa, a Bellingham resident. "It's atrocious the mode that my state is treating Canada."

As the rally wrapped up, attendees formed a enactment and shook hands, mirroring a benignant of postgame handshake.

Landry said the lawsuit volition instrumentality adjacent play to support the dialog unfastened and reaffirm their committedness to maintaining the relationship betwixt the 2 nations.