The American anthem blaring, fights between players ... the ice hockey match between Canada and the US on Saturday, February 15, ended in chaos. Electrified, the Montréal Bell Centre echoed, for the duration of the evening, the now tumultuous relations between the two neighbors. With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in attendance, the Canadian anthem was sung with vigor and pride. "It's the Trump effect," said Daniel Béland, Director of McGill University's Institute of Canadian Studies, on the "surge of patriotism" and "Canadian pride."
"It's certainly one of the worst moments in Canada-US relations since the creation of Canada in 1867," said the sociologist, referring to the American president's threats to tax imported Canadian products, and to make Canada the 51st US state.
"I think there's a convergence of factors here that favors this rise in patriotism, but I think that the main source of this is this reaction against Donald Trump, his rhetoric, and his policies."
An Angus Reid Institute poll released in early February found that 67% of those surveyed declared themselves "proud" or "very proud" to be Canadian. This represents a 9-point jump from December 2024. A wind of national pride is also blowing across Quebec, where the sense of belonging to Canada is historically less strong than elsewhere in the country.
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