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

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Hundreds attended the "Elbows Up, Canada" rally at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on Saturday to show Canadian pride and support amid tensions with the U.S. Peter Wall, the rally's co-organizer, discusses what the movement hopes to achieve.  »»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/1RreYWS  Connect with CBC News Online:  For breaking news, video, audio and in-depth coverage: http://bit.ly/1Z0m6iX Follow CBC News on TikTok: https://bit.ly/3TnHioe Follow CBC News on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1sA5P9H Find CBC News on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1WjG36m Follow CBC News on Instagram: http://bit.ly/1Z0iE7O Subscribe to CBC News on Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3leaWsr  Download the CBC News app for iOS: http://apple.co/25mpsUz Download the CBC News app for Android: http://bit.ly/1XxuozZ  »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» For more than 80 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.

Transcript

00:00We don't need to kick and scream and say we're the best, we can just be the best.

00:05This country is the greatest country in the world, don't ever forget it.

00:09We will never be the 51st state and we gotta fight for it though.

00:14Elbows up everybody!

00:17That's Canadian comedian and actor Sean Majungder speaking outside of Toronto City Hall this

00:21afternoon.

00:22He was one of the speakers at today's Elbows Up rally.

00:25It was a chance for Canadians from the Toronto area to show their national pride amidst the

00:30trade war and threats by Donald Trump.

00:34And we're now joined from Toronto City Hall by Peter Wall, organizer of the Elbows Up

00:39rally.

00:40Peter, nice to chat with you.

00:41Hi Diana, nice to be on.

00:44Peter, there's been a lot of attention on these Elbows Up rallies, they seem to be growing

00:49in size.

00:50Are you surprised by the sheer enthusiasm from Canadians?

00:55I'm not surprised Diana, listen, I think we're all feeling something in this country

00:59right now.

01:00I think we're frustrated, I think we are concerned, I think we're a little bit angry.

01:06And when you're going through something like that, it's natural to want to come together.

01:10And so by holding these events, we are giving a space for people to come together and have

01:16this kind of common experience and to be able to share.

01:19And today was a little bit frustrating and angry, people have felt all the emotions,

01:25but it was mostly, to be honest, joyful.

01:27It was really is quite an energizing experience, I think, for people who came.

01:32So definitely, as you said, joyful, maybe therapeutic, cathartic experience for people

01:37who are there.

01:39What difference do you think rallies like this can make in the tensions between Canada

01:44and the U.S., which certainly seem at the worst point that they've been in our generation?

01:50I think I think there's a couple of things that rallies like this achieve.

01:53I think one is that they give people a chance to channel their energy, you know, instead

01:58of like swiping and screaming, it gives people a chance to do something and to be active

02:03and to be in community.

02:04And I think all that's really important in terms of the messaging, you know, outward

02:09towards the United States.

02:10That's something we can't control.

02:11I didn't, you know, ultimately, this is not really about saying to America, we don't like

02:16you.

02:17This is about saying to Canadians, we've got something great that is amazing, that is worth

02:21protecting.

02:23And in terms of the Americans, we do love the Americans.

02:25They're our closest friends, our neighbors, you know, our allies.

02:29This is not about being anti-American.

02:30It's just about protecting Canada and recognizing that we've got something pretty unique.

02:36So I want to ask you a little bit more about that, because you said it's not an anti-American

02:40movement per se.

02:43What do you see, I guess, as the main issues between the two countries, and how does your

02:47movement address them, beyond, as you said, being very, you know, pro-Canadiana and not

02:53being anti-American?

02:54Listen, I think that Canada and the United States share a lot.

03:00You know, we share a lot of cultural things.

03:04We watch each other.

03:05We watch American television.

03:06We listen to American music.

03:08We talk like Americans to a certain extent.

03:10But we're also quite different.

03:11You know, I think we have some fundamentally different values.

03:15You know, obviously, things like universal health care, et cetera, there's just some

03:19obvious things that are different.

03:20And so I think that Canadians are now standing up and saying, hey, America, great, you're

03:28doing your thing, but we want to be able to keep doing our thing because we really love

03:32being Canadian.

03:35How do you see, I mean, it's very much a movement of the moment.

03:40How do you see your movement changing if the tensions between U.S. and Canada continue

03:47to evolve?

03:48Or worse than, I guess, is the word I'm trying to avoid saying.

03:52Listen, I think it's super hard to predict the future.

03:55I just don't, you know, obviously, particularly with the current administration in the White

04:00House, we don't know what's going to happen in two weeks.

04:03We don't know what's going to happen on April 2nd.

04:06So three months, six months, a year down the line, I mean, this already feels like we've

04:11been doing this for years right now.

04:12So I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I know that if Canadians are

04:16feeling like they're being threatened or they're being bullied or, you know, there's threats

04:22of annexation, Canadians are going to stand up.

04:25And that's what we did together here today, and it felt great to do it.

04:29Tell me, obviously, we're on the eve of the election call.

04:34The leaders are already campaigning.

04:36Certainly all the leaders of the major parties really leaning into that sense of patriotism

04:41that this moment has produced.

04:42What message are you sending?

04:46What message do you want to send to leaders as they embark on the election campaign about

04:50maybe something that you've gleaned as you talk to people who are attending your rallies

04:54across the country?

04:57I think one of the great things about these events is that Canadians are feeling more

05:02united than we've ever felt before.

05:05This is the silver lining in all of this is that it's brought us together with a common

05:10meaning and a common purpose, which is to celebrate this amazing country that we have.

05:15One of the core values of our movement is that we are nonpartisan.

05:20And so it doesn't matter what party you belong to.

05:22We've had, you know, folks in attendance and on the stage from all sorts of different parties.

05:28We also are not having politicians come up on stage other than the mayor of the municipality

05:33or city that we're holding a rally in, because this is above politics.

05:38This is really not about party politics at all.

05:41Peter, thank you so much for that.

05:44And I know that there's lots more action to happen at Elbows Up rallies.

05:48Really appreciate you sharing your time with us.

05:51Thanks, Deanna.

05:52Peter Wall is a co-organizer of the Elbows Up rallies.

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