Canadians, Americans wave flags in cross-border friendship rally

Colin Graf · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 11:28 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Waving some Canadian and American flags, residents adjacent Sarnia, Ont., turned retired for what was billed arsenic a relationship rally betwixt the 2 countries nether the Blue Water Bridge linking Ontario and Michigan Saturday afternoon.

However, voicing their governmental opinions was apical of the database for galore attendees who consciousness – contempt outcry from manufacture and governmental leaders – that tariffs being imposed connected Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump are not a large menace here.  

Johnny Hopman of Sarnia doesn't deliberation Canadians should interest astir the tariffs.  "That's been going connected for years.  It's going to beryllium a juggle for a while, but it tin beryllium worked out."  Hopman said he's much acrophobic astir who volition beryllium the adjacent premier minister. "They conscionable appointed Carney. That's nary system."

Alysia Topol, also of Sarnia, said she is not acrophobic "at all" astir tariffs, Topol, who has household and enactment connections successful the U.S. said "I would beryllium much acrophobic astir c taxes and different things that person been imposed here. The outgo of surviving and everything has been going down elevation earlier the tariffs became a concern."

Flags from each state were handed retired by Sarnia Coun. Bill Dennis and supporters astatine the event, which helium sponsored on with the politician of Port Huron, Mich.

The rally exceeded expectations, helium said, with a assemblage of "happy radical who wanted to amusement our American friends that we worth their relationship and we worth our narration and politicians shouldn't disagreement us."

Asked astir flags with obscenities, Dennis said "an lawsuit similar this is going to pull radical similar that. This is Canada and radical are escaped to talk their minds." Dennis said the lawsuit was meant to beryllium non-partisan.  

People could besides beryllium seen connected the American broadside waving flags and honking horns successful support.  

Dennis said connected societal media the lawsuit was held to antagonistic a question by Sarnia's politician Mike Bradley to region American flags from nationalist buildings successful Sarnia. 

Bradley, who called for the prohibition earlier successful the week, reversed people Friday anterior to the rally, and said helium was "temporarily" cancelling the plan, aft proceeding that Prime Minister Mark Carney said Trump had agreed to negociate a broad caller economical and information narration with Canada pursuing the national election, during a telephone telephone betwixt the 2 leaders.

 In an interview, Bradley expressed disappointment with the mode the rally was organized, saying his American counterpart, Mayor Anita Ashford of Port Huron Mich., should person spoken with him astir the plan.

"It's good for her to accidental it's each astir friendship, but wherever does she basal connected the issues," helium asked. 

Americans indispensable judge their portion successful Trump's decisions, Bradley said.  "You can't blasted it each connected 1 person. Seventy-seven cardinal voted for him. Americans are not our friends, they are our neighbours."

Ashford did not reply to email and telephone requests for an interrogation by work time.

Bradley said helium had resisted calls until precocious from section residents who had been emailing and asking him to region the Stars and Stripes since aboriginal successful February and had a batch of nationalist enactment for the move.  

Uma Pancholy and her person Kamal Wanner carried tiny posters of a Canadian stamp featuring the Peace Bridge successful the Niagara area.

Pancholy said they were determination "because we emotion Canada" and privation to stay connected to friends and household crossed the St. Clair River.  "We're surely not present due to the fact that we judge Canada should beryllium the 51st state. We judge successful the independency of Canada."

Linda Cossette of Sarnia says she's not into authorities but she "loves the radical of the U.S." and is unhappy with the existent authorities of affairs.  

The life-long Sarnia nonmigratory said she conscionable wants to amusement Canadians attraction astir their neighbours.  While her household has often crossed the borderline to sojourn household "we're not doing that overmuch now. We don't cognize what benignant of absorption we are going to get" astatine the border, Cossette said.