Elbows up, gloves off: A ‘Team Canada’ approach to counter US tariffs

Elbows up, gloves off

Last week, Canadian Mike Myers mouthed the words “elbows up” on Saturday Night Live while wearing a shirt that said ‘CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE’ framed around an image of the Canadian flag. ‘Elbows up’ is a Canadian reference, linking to the Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe, who earned the nickname Mr. Elbows. A gentleman off the ice, but if provoked, Mr. Elbows would elbow a provoker in the head.

Myers was issuing a rallying call that Canadians respond to President Donald Trump’s unlawful tariffs collectively with our ‘elbows up.’ His call to action is shared by individual Canadians, provincial, territorial (P|T) and federal officials alike.

Canada, a country made up of ten provinces and three territories, each having jurisdictional autonomy on many trade-related policy areas, has united in its response to the Trump administration’s 25% tariffs (10% on select goods) – a Team Canada approach. Derived from the national sport – ice hockey (just hockey if you’re a Canadian) – Team Canada has been adopted by Canada’s inclusive and pan-provincial/territorial/federal government approach to international trade missions, creating a unique intersection of foreign policy and sport.

Despite this being a live issue with changes happening daily, it is worth taking a snapshot of what has been happening at the federal, provincial/territorial (P|T), and individual levels.

1.     Federal level

Over the weekend, the governing Liberal Party elected Mark Carney as the party leader, replacing Justin Trudeau as Canada’s Prime Minister. As a former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, Carney is well-versed in political economy and geopolitics. In his acceptance speech, Carney towed the line that Trudeau had started stating: “We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. So, the Americans, they should make no mistake. In trade as in hockey, Canada will win.”

At the same event, Prime Minister Trudeau gave his final speech as party leader and reflected on what makes Canada unique, not in opposition to someone else as is often the case in comparison to the US, but as a sovereign, resource-rich, socially minded country. Trudeau said, “And we’re a country that will be diplomatic when we can, but fight when we must – ‘elbows up’.”

In this case, the federal government’s elbows come in the form of targeted counter tariffs. Acting initially with two phases of countermeasures, Canada first responded on 4 March 2025 with targeted reciprocal 25% tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods imported from the US, including goods from Republican-dominated states, like orange juice, peanut butter, and pulp and paper products. Then, if the US tariffs are maintained, Canada has committed to increase the counter tariffs to $155 billion on a larger list of goods including more food stuffs, metals, and automotive vehicles. Aligned with Trudeau, it is likely that PM-designate Carney will fulfil this pledge.

2.     Provincial and territorial level

From afar, it might appear that Trump is trying to divide and conquer the P|Ts in his selective preferred 10% tariff rate, which will affect regions disproportionately. However, even Alberta (oil and gas) and Québec (aluminium), both benefit from the 10% tariff rate, have been vocal about defending their provincial interest as Canadians.

Across the country, P|Ts have chosen to act in line with the federal government’s counterapproach to complement and extend the Team Canada effort. Key P|T policy jurisdictions have become the policy tools where governments have enacted their ability to respond to US tariffs.

Summary of Provincial and Territorial ResponsesConsidering procurement, almost universally, P|Ts have halted, cancelled, or delayed infrastructure projects or limited or excluded US firms from bidding on future projects. Québec Premier François Legault has taken a more moderate approach applying a 25% ‘penalty’ on US bids whereas others, like Ontario Premier Doug Ford, have immediately cancelled large infrastructure projects like Elon Musk’s Starlink project.

As a P|T regulated area, the sale of alcohol has been an area of political and economic retaliation. Where Yukon and Saskatchewan have said that liquor retailers can continue to sell previously purchased US products, other provinces like Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Québec have immediately pulled the stock from their shelves. Differently, British Columbia’s Premier David Eby announced on 4 March 2025 that “B.C. liquor stores are pulling all ‘red state’ products – as in liquor produced in states run by Republican leaders”, then extending it to all US booze this week.

Some provinces, like Alberta, have offered to remove all trade and labour barriers with other jurisdictions willing to reciprocate, yet Québec, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut are committing to having discussions with other jurisdictions.

Ontario Premier Ford has been the most vocal about his retaliatory approach. He has implemented, and then withdrew, a 25% surcharge on US-bound electricity exports effecting up to 1.5 million homes, and he has threatened to “shut the electricity off completely” if the trade war escalates. Premier Ford has appealed to other jurisdictions to cut off key exports like lumber from British Columbia and potash and uranium from Saskatchewan.

Differently, in an announcement, Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith has tried to remind President Trump that developing “US Energy Dominance” is dependent on Canadian oil and gas supplies as US reserves are depleting. So, rather than applying tariffs, the US has an opportunity to create a “win-win” for Canadian and American businesses and consumers by increasing their purchase of subsidised Alberta oil and gas. Simultaneously, Premier Smith also committed to diversifying market access via developing pipelines to tidal waters in Canada’s three coasts and away from the US market.

3.     Individual level

From the ongoing practice of booing the American national anthem at sporting events, changing holiday plans, and sharing information on ‘Made in Canada’ and ‘Product of Canada’ goods, Canadians have identified unique ways to put economic and social pressure on the US public to show their frustration. Buy Canadian is a shared purchasing goal with individuals swapping tomatoes from California to those from Italy and pepperoni from Ohio to those from Ontario and Quebec, for example. Helping other Canadians identify non-US products, some have turned to Facebook groups like “Made in Canada – Canadian Products” where members can share alternatives to US products.

A recent online poll of 2,005 Canadians by the Angus Reid Institute found that 55% of Canadians feel angry about the “threats of tariffs and annexation from Trump”, with an additional 37% feeling betrayed. In fact, only 24% of Canadians stated that they “hold a favourable view of the United States” – a drop from 47% from last November 2024. They also found significant support for policy responses, including a blanket 25% tariff (66%), targeted 25% tariffs on imports like steel, ceramics, and Florida orange juice (70%) and an embargo on critical Canadian exports to the US (65%).

Conclusion

While economists argue that tariffs drive up prices, which would influence individuals to buy cheaper goods, buyers and sellers in Canada have pre-emptively changed their buying and selling habits to buy Canadian. This signals that Trump's tariffs are far more than just a price-related issue: they have catalysed a newfound sense of Canadian national identity.