By Steffi Fillingham

Welcome to The Times-Contrarian Canada Desk. Its purpose is to help people better understand how Canadians are feeling and how they are dealing with the turmoil of our times. This first column is a Maple tree view of my relationship with America, from my roots to the present. I promise I’ll only bore you this one time.

I am a Canadian, born and bred. When I was eight years old, our family moved from Montreal to Windsor, Ontario, right across the river from Detroit. From that day forward, I ate, slept and breathed the culture of The United States.

I grew up watching American Bandstand, loving the Mouseketeers, dancing the Continental and the Stroll, shopping at the amazing Hudson’s in Detroit, worshipping at the alter of Motown. I wept uncontrollably when John Kennedy died. I was in Grade 10, waiting to write an English exam when the news came in. Canadians were as paralyzed as Americans. He was our President too. Then came Bobby. And Dr. King Jr. And all along there was Vietnam. Agree with that war or not, did you know that Canadians volunteered to fight in Vietnam alongside U.S. troops? When Watergate happened, we were all outraged along with our southern brothers and sisters. We cheered when the American diplomats escaped from Iran due to the bravery of Canada’s Ambassador and his Embassy staff in Tehran.

Over the following decades, both our countries experienced crippling inflation, recessions, the Space Shuttle tragedies and the cruelty of September 11, 2001. One of its Canadian victims lived around the corner from where I live now. As a NATO member, Canada went into combat with The United States and our NATO allies, fighting side by side in the War Against Terror that spread primarily across Afghanistan and then Iraq. The list of our common bonds continued to grow.

When my parents retired, they drove to Elkhart, Indiana and bought a honkin’ Airstream trailer with all the bells and whistles and travelled gleefully all over the States. Eventually they settled every winter in Melbourne, Florida – a lovely, unassuming middle-class city on the shores of the Atlantic coast. I loved going to visit them and they loved showing me the joys of Florida life.

My husband and I retired in 2008 and we went to Florida too. We bought a home, joined a golf course, made new friends and told anyone and everyone we knew in Canada how wonderful it was to winter in the Sunshine State. And you know, a lot of them followed us. Life for us was good and lucky and we never took either for granted.

Then came the Election of 2016. For many people, the world turned upside down. From Canada we watched in total amazement as the results came in and we realized that our similarities with our American neighbours were perhaps not so solid. But oh well, we respected their sovereign right to choose their own leader. Again, we stood together against Covid and Canadians were grateful for the American-developed vaccines.

Fast forward to the present. Donald Trump is back in office. He has labelled Canada an economic villain and imposed crippling tariffs on our exports to America. At the same time, he has declared our country would be a perfect 51st State.

How do we feel about that? We are insulted, we are hurt, we are furious. Most of all, we are galvanized together across our provinces and political lines. Many of us are turning our backs on the best international friend our country ever had.

We’re selling our American properties, cancelling our U.S. holidays and flights, actively shopping for goods made anywhere else but America.

When I go to my grocery store, there are little Maple Leaf flags everywhere, indicating Canadian products. Also, there are lots more things, especially fruits and vegetables, from countries other than the US. I don't buy orange juice anymore. I buy Moroccan oranges and run them through my electric juicer. I have an app on my phone that reads bar codes and says whether things are Canadian. I have discovered all sorts of interesting facts. The blueberries from Morocco are lovely and much cheaper. Canadian-made kettle chips are tastier and not as greasy as the American brand I used to buy. Everything Canadian is clearly labelled, from canned goods to breakfast sausages. And it’s fascinating to watch people in the stores, peering at labels and putting things back.

At most liquor stores across the country, there are no American products on the shelves. It may seem like nothing, but it's really an indication of the consolidated determination of Canadians across the country. And we haven’t even touched on cars.

None of this is what we wanted. We love our bourbon, California Cabernet Sauvignon, Oregon Pinot Noir, Coors, Florida Oranges, Virginia peanuts, playing golf in Arizona, taking our kids to Disney. Mustangs, Cadillacs, Chevys, Rams, F-150s. All of those are part of who we are too.

It is incredibly sad that our two nations are going through all of this. But Canadians know how to forage and rally and rise to the challenge. Our seatbelts are buckled.

As a last point of interest, consider this. I can still buy a dozen Canada Grade A Large Eggs at a major grocery chain for $3.93 Canadian. Life is good.

And that, folks, is my rant for today.