this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
209 points (98.6% liked)

Canada

11595 readers
1005 users here now

What's going on Canada?



Related Communities


🍁 Meta


🗺️ Provinces / Territories


🏙️ Cities / Local Communities

Sorted alphabetically by city name.


🏒 SportsHockey

Football (NFL): incomplete

Football (CFL): incomplete

Baseball

Basketball

Soccer


💻 Schools / Universities

Sorted by province, then by total full-time enrolment.


💵 Finance, Shopping, Sales


🗣️ Politics


🍁 Social / Culture


Rules

  1. Keep the original title when submitting an article. You can put your own commentary in the body of the post or in the comment section.

Reminder that the rules for lemmy.ca also apply here. See the sidebar on the homepage: lemmy.ca


founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

OTTAWA — It’s the world’s most awkward breakup.

More than a year after U.S. President Donald Trump casually joked about absorbing Canada and repeatedly threatened debilitating tariffs on its goods, many Canadians are convinced their former pals to the south have lost the plot.

New results from The POLITICO Poll suggest a lasting chill has settled over the world’s former bosom buddies. Americans are rosy as ever about their northern neighbors, but Canadians don’t share the love.

Their message to America: It’s not us, it’s you.

Canadians don’t see Trump’s America as merely an annoyance, the survey found. They consider the superpower next door the world’s greatest threat to peacetime.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago

Trump casually joked about absorbing Canada

It was never a joke.

The man doesn't know how to make a joke.

The closest to humour he gets is when he is punching down, like the bully he has always been.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 hours ago

better late than never. welcome to the club!

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

I hated it since the Iraq war.

[–] Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 6 points 15 hours ago

I think many Canadians are simply fed up with the charade that America is our friend. They never have been. Not under any President. Trump might be completely inept and therefore making it obvious, but America has always considered Canada to be theirs. Only an independent country so long as we toe their line. We must always support them and come to their aid but may never surpass them in any way. For that we must always try to keep a friendly posture so that they have no "excuse" to invade us.
Of course that is all about government. There are many individual people who might like Canadians. Be family. Be friends. Doesn't change the nature of their government though. It truly believes that the world is theirs to do with as they wish and Canada is just a small country in that equation. America is and always has been the country that many people recognize Russia or China to be. We have to find a way to live with them but it would be a huge mistake to go back to thinking that they are actually friends or even allies.

[–] DarylInCanada@lemmy.ca 10 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Considering that it has been less than 100 years that America has been considered our ally (the entire purpose of Confederation in 1867 was to form a strong Canada that could defend itself against the American foe), the needle has been pointing to 'enemy' longer than it has been pointing to 'ally'. History will regard the 'friend' part as just a brief interlude.

I am afraid Americans in general do not look at Canadians as 'friends', they look at us as 'customers'.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 11 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

The majority of Americans view Canada as our closest and most trusted ally. Maga fascist are the exception to that rule apparently.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Don't try to correct them, when someone tells you they hate you, believe them, and start hating them back for it.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

If there is a legitimate reason to hate perhaps, but I find it hard to hate someone back when both parties have no reason other than propaganda to hate each other.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Nope. If you hate me, I hate you. Caring why is an unaffordable luxury.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

When you have a third party telling you to hate each other I think this breaks down.

Think of someone who has been taught to hate gays realizing there is no reason to.

If you hate me for a made up reason even you don't understand I will point it out to you. The ruling class has been using hate and division to control us for far too long and I am done with their stupid games.

The ruling class is a problem that needs to be dealt with. I've got Canadians saying they're going to hate me forever. So I now hate Canadians forever. They're not gonna let that wound heal? neither will I. The bed has been shat, and it wasn't my asshole that shat it.

[–] Nils@lemmy.ca 10 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

It will be really hard to be friends again when at least 70 millions USA citizens voted for this in 3 different occasions. And only a few did a thing to prevent it.

Going back to USA would be like a spouse who keeps going back to an abusive partner.

I hope we improve our friendship with the rest of the world for some peace of mind.

[–] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 3 points 15 hours ago

As far as I’m concerned, the US’s do-nothing “resistance” is a bigger problem than the MAGA trash.

[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

I have tired of hearing how many voted for him. How many did anything to stop him? How many are doing anything now?

That is what matters. Lines have been crossed.

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 110 points 1 day ago (2 children)

casually joked about absorbing Canada

Fuck off with this bullshit. It wasn't a joke. I'm so sick of the media normalizing Trump's crap.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 50 points 1 day ago

To be clear:

  • Trump specifically said he wasn’t joking

"I'm really not trolling. Canada is an interesting case.… I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state."

  • Trump said he wanted to use economic warfare to “acquire” Canada.
  • Trump said the US needs to “acquire” Canada.
  • The US government is meeting with and likely funding separatists
  • The US government was doing this last time Trump was in power

This is exactly what Russia did before annexing Crimea. This is not idle threats, not a joke, and not to be taken as some obscene bargaining position.

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 25 points 1 day ago

Politico is owned by Axel Springer, a conservative media holding company. Of course they’re going to normalize trump’s lunacy as “joking.”

[–] hddsx@lemmy.ca 50 points 1 day ago (4 children)

As an American this hurts. None of the US allies (former allies?) have done for the US what Canada has. Canada has gone so above and beyond whenever the US has had a crisis (ie. 9/11).

Like how stupid do you have to be to ruin that? And it’s not just POTUS. There have literally been Canadians who were arrested by ICE. Yet, people like Newsom are still trying to entice Canadians to visit the US. Sure, nothing could happen. But if something happens, you could get deported to some random country before you can mount a defense even though Canada shares a land border.

It’s selfish and is a stark juxtaposition against how the Canadians treated Americans. It’s beyond fucked.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

how stupid do you have to be to ruin that?

This stupid

[–] cheat700000007@lemmy.world 7 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

As a Canadian with elderly American family this hurts. I want to visit them but don't want to go down there.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

As a Canadian this also hurts. A lot.

I don’t want to hate the US, I don’t have issues with a lot of the American people, but I can’t see the actions of the US government as anything less than an adversary and an existential threat.

The thing about existential threats is you have no choice, you cannot ignore them, because even a 10% chance has immense costs, and the expected value of what you should commit to covering them is massive.

Honestly it feels a lot like what Russia did before annexing Crimea and before the war in Ukraine. Down to meeting with and funding separatists, mass propaganda campaigns, etc.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The fascist plague is in Canada too, and Canada has to take action to protect itself from it. Just recently there was a police-led Nazi rally in Toronto. There was another one earlier last year at Christie Pits too but they got pushed out by counter protesters. It's in government as well, all the cons are trying to bring American politics to Canada

Canada needs to take action before it's too late

[–] deeferg@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 hours ago

The fascist plague is in Canada too

Yeah, we know, and it's been an attempt at the US government to get their bullshit up north, and exactly why the Conservatives lost so hard last election. The people up here at least get out and vote when we see the Conservative party aligning with Trump, and in Alberta aligning with "US Separatism".

Any link to that Police-led Nazi march you're mentioning? Didn't read anything on that.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

We have a Christo-Nazi fucking up a school board in Hamilton on an anti-woke agenda the Wine moms love. She's been working with local Nazi, Paul Fromm.

[–] IndridCold@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don’t have issues with a lot of the American people

I have a serious issue with about 2/3rds of them. 1/3 voted for the orange sack of mayo and another 1/3 just shrugged.

[–] Redvenom@retrolemmy.com 4 points 15 hours ago

1/3 voted for the orange fuck and another 1/3 just shrugged...TWICE

[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 1 points 16 hours ago

Canada would have done anything for the US. Canada is a good friend.

But the situation has become more like freeing the German soldier in Saving Private Ryan. Helping the USA in 2026 is like putting a bullet in your other friend yourself.

And it is not just how Trump treats Canada. Denmark bled for the US over 9/11 and they got Greenland belongs to the US as thanks. How many Ukranians have died as result of current US policy?

And is it just Trump? Important men all over the world are being held to account over Epstein. Anybody in the US?

The US itself is the biggest victim. The US is murdering its own citizens in the streets. No reaction. Not really. How exactly is that genie going back in the bottle? I was in Chicago when 9/11 happened. The US was never the same after. This has changed it more and more irreversibly.

It is such a sad and tragic end. So much for the shining city on a hill.

[–] betanumerus@lemmy.ca 33 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

"casually joked" - No sir. PM gave him the benefit of the doubt by casually joking about trading for California or Vermont, but DT never laughed. DT only doubled down by repeating 51 many times over many months.

[–] Ghostie@lemmy.zip 8 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (2 children)

That’s what he does. If you think he is joking, he’ll double down. If you react like he’s being serious, he’ll say he was only joking and but then double down later.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 points 15 hours ago

He doesn't know what a joke is. He can make fun of someone but he can't make an actual joke

[–] betanumerus@lemmy.ca 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

That kind of flip flopping only shows he's an qualified troll.

[–] Ghostie@lemmy.zip 3 points 21 hours ago (2 children)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] otter@lemmy.ca 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"Stronger: 7%"

😐

That's not even a partisan issue, and yet

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 day ago (3 children)

7% of canadians are traitors, apparently

Since they love trump and his policies so much, we should send federal agents to round them up for treason

[–] IndridCold@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

7% of canadians are traitors, apparently

Look at any poll. There is always a low number of 5-10% that believe in the weirdest shit. Flat earth. Alien abduction. Anti-science nonsense, Homeopathy, etc.

10% of any civilized population are complete fucking idiots.

[–] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 2 points 15 hours ago

Lizardman’s constant.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] ZiggyTheZygote@lemmy.ca 31 points 1 day ago

Any person, anywhere in the world, with a little bit of judgement and political understanding, can see that the US has been a threat to the world for decades, masquerading as the beacon of freedom and truth. It brought nothing but war, consumerism, destructive and unfair capitalism, pollution, hollywood propaganda, corruption, terrorism, racism, and many more. Of course we can't deny the good things that came out, or the good people who fight against these things. They are the ones that matter.

[–] U7826391786239@lemmy.zip 28 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

i'm american and i hate america. usa is 100% the greatest fucking threat to the planet. it has been for decades, but only now that it's officially fascism has it become obvious and right in everyone's face. diplomacy was stopping the states before. now, nothing is.

Everyone should hate our government. Our government is letting people die on top of the ones it's killing. As well those who voted for this...thing.

[–] uienia@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

All of the former allies of the US hates the US now. With good reason.

Also Russia loves the US now. With good reason.

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

All rushed to express how proud they was that they help killing inocent civilians in Afghanistan. They welcomed the surrender plan for Palestinians. They welcomed marco rubio deranged speech in Munnich

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 day ago

When I started teaching 35 years ago, I posed the question, "Should Canada join the U. S." as a writing assignment. Back then, around 50 % were in favour. Over the years, it was nearly a linear descent. When I retired, I would get maybe 1 in a class of 30 that would be for it.

[–] greyscale@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They've made themselves a Pariah State, not just a Rouge or Failed state.

[–] Apollo98@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

God forbid they make themselves a Mauve state.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›