Elbows Up!: Hundreds rally in Toronto amid U.S.-Canada tensions

We don't need to kick and scream and say we're the best. We can just be the best. This country is the greatest country in the world. Don't ever forget it. We will never be the 51st state. And we gotta fight for it, though. Elbows up, everybody! That's Canadian comedian and actor Sean Majungder speaking outside of Toronto City Hall this afternoon. He was one of the speakers at today's Elbows Up rally. It was a chance for Canadians from the Toronto area to show their national pride amidst the trade war and threats by Donald Trump. And we're now joined from Toronto City Hall by Peter Wall, organiser of the Elbows Up rally. Peter, nice to chat with you. Hi, Deanna. Nice to be on. Peter, there's been a lot of attention on these Elbows Up rallies. They seem to be growing in size. Are you surprised by the sheer enthusiasm from Canadians? I'm not surprised, Deanna. Listen, I think we're all feeling something in this country right now. I think we're frustrated. I think we are, you know, concerned. I think we're a little bit angry. And when you're going through something like that, it's natural to want to come together. And so, you know, by holding these events, we are giving a space for people to come together and have this kind of common experience and to be able to share. And today was a little bit, you know, frustrating and angry. People have felt all the emotions. But it was mostly, to be honest, joyful. It was really quite an energizing experience, I think, for people who came. So definitely, as you said, joyful, maybe therapeutic, cathartic experience for people who are there. What difference do you think rallies like this can make in the tensions between Canada and the US, which certainly seem at the worst point that they've been in our generation? I think there's a couple things that rallies like this achieve. I think one is that they give people a chance to channel their energy. You know, instead of, like, swiping and screaming, it gives people a chance to do something and to be active and to be in community. And I think all that's really important. In terms of the messaging, you know, outward towards the United States, that's something we can't control. You know, ultimately, this is not really about saying to America, we don't like you. This is about saying to Canadians, we've got something great that is amazing that is worth protecting. And in terms of the Americans, we do love the Americans. Like, they're our closest friends, our neighbors, you know, our allies. This is not about being anti-American. It's just about protecting Canada and recognizing that we've got something pretty unique here. So I want to ask you a little bit more about that, because you said it's not an anti-American movement per se. What do you see, I guess, as the main issues between the two countries, and how does your movement address them, beyond, as you said, being very, you know, pro-Canadiana and not being anti-American? Listen, I think that Canada and the United States share a lot. You know, we share a lot of cultural things. We watch each other. We watch American television. We listen to American music. We talk like Americans to a certain extent. But we're also quite different. You know, I think we have some fundamentally different values. You know, obviously things like universal health care, etc. There's just some obvious things that are different. And so I think that Canadians are now standing up and saying, hey, America, great, you're doing your thing, but we want to be able to keep doing our thing because we really love being Canadian. How do you see, I mean, it's very much a movement of the moment. How do you see your movement changing if the tensions between US and Canada continue to evolve, or worse than I guess is the word I'm trying to avoid saying? Listen, I think it's super hard to predict the future. I just don't, you know, obviously, particularly with the current administration in the White House, we don't know what's going to happen in two weeks. We don't know what's going to happen on April 2nd. So three months, six months, a year down the line. I mean, this already feels like we've been doing this for years right now. So I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I know that if Canadians are feeling like they're being threatened or they're being bullied or, you know, there's threats of annexation, Canadians are going to stand up. And that's what we did together here today, and it felt great to do it. Tell me, obviously, we're on the eve of the election call. The leaders are already campaigning. Certainly all the leaders of the major parties really leaning into that sense of patriotism that this moment has produced. What message are you sending? What message do you want to send to leaders as they embark on the election campaign about maybe something that you've gleaned as you talk to people who are attending your rallies across the country? I think one of the great things about these events is that Canadians are feeling more united than we've ever felt before. This is the silver lining in all of this, is that it's brought us together with a common meaning and a common purpose, which is to celebrate this amazing country that we have. One of the core values of our movement is that we are non-partisan. And so it doesn't matter what party you belong to. We've had, you know, folks in attendance and on the stage from all sorts of different parties. We also are not having politicians come up on stage other than the mayor of the municipality or city that we're holding a rally. Because this is above politics. This is really not about party politics at all. Peter, thank you so much for that. And I know that there's lots more action to happen at Elbows Up rallies. Really appreciate you sharing your time with us. Thanks, Diana. Peter Wall is a co-organizer of the Elbows Up rallies.