Angry Canadians get their 'elbows up' in face of Trump threats

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadians are upset.

At first it was the threat, and then the reality, of tariffs. Now, U.S. President Donald Trump's talk of Canada's forced annexation - no longer laughed off as a joke - has really angered a population better known for its politeness.

Canadians are rallying for their country and seeing a resurgence in nationalism, as Canada-U.S. relations top the list of issues preoccupying residents, according to recent polls.

"Elbows up," a hockey term conveying readiness to fight, is the new rallying cry - emblazoned on clothing, headlining rallies and the title of a new podcast that dedicated its first episode to the practicalities of creating a civil defence corps.

It remains unclear how long Trump's tariffs will be in place or what is behind his aspirations for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state. But 11 peeved Canadians Reuters spoke with said they believed irrevocable damage had been done.

Canadians are boycotting U.S. goods and cancelling U.S. travel plans. Provinces are taking American alcohol off store shelves. The sense of betrayal runs deep. 

"It's a mix of concern, frustration, anger. Our longstanding friend and ally has turned against us and we don't really know what to do," said Peter Wall, an Elbows Up rally organizer.

Wall and a handful of other organizers put together a rally on Parliament Hill in Canada's capital Ottawa in a matter of days. The event, which featured speakers, a band and a coat check for hockey sticks to facilitate a game afterward, attracted more than 1,000 people on March 9.

More events are planned in Toronto and elsewhere in coming weeks.

Signs at the Ottawa rally criticized Trump as an imperialist, saying "Elbows up" or "True north strong and peeved," a play on lyrics from Canada's national anthem. There was no shortage of Canadian flags.

Journalist Jordan Heath-Rawlings, who channelled his frustration into a new podcast called Elbows Up, compares the state of Canada's relationship with the U.S. to the shock of a divorce.

"All the things in your life you maybe took for granted are, all of a sudden, gone. You have to redefine yourself as a person and I think that's where we're at as a country," he said.

"I think a lot of Canadians feel really hurt. I think a lot of Canadians are really angry. I've been feeling that way myself, for sure."

Comedian and actor Shaun Majumder, who recently moved back to Canada with his family after years living in Los Angeles and who performed at the "Elbows Up" rally, thinks Canadians will look back at this time in 50 years and see it as an inflection point.

"Was that a shift in our maturity where we finally found our identity? And it's not beavers, it's not mounties, it's not politeness - there's something underneath it all," he said.

In a parting speech on Sunday, before new Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in on Friday, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also used the term. "We're a country that will be diplomatic when we can but fight when we must. Elbows up!"

(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Nia Williams)