MONTREAL – Protesters rallied in several cities across the country on Sunday to demonstrate against U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to Canadian sovereignty.
In Montreal, hundreds gathered in Mount Royal Park in a show of solidarity against his repeated remarks about making Canada the 51st state, with many sporting signs reading, “Hands off.”
At the foot of a monument topped by a winged goddess of liberty, artists, politicians and the former head of Doctors Without Borders warned about the dangers to free speech, democratic integrity and Canadian independence posed by the Trump administration.
In Halifax, hundreds more braved pounding rain to attend a rally outside a convention centre, where they stood in puddles a few inches deep, singing along to a cover band playing the Tragically Hip and other Canadian classics.
And in Manitoba, Premier Wab Kinew said his government helped organize a “Rally for Canada” so residents could show regional and national pride and send a message — that the country will never be an American state.
The demonstrations come a day after Americans gathered in all 50 states to protest the president’s agenda following a dizzying 11 weeks that saw Trump throw up tariff walls, dismantle some government offices and pardon nearly all defendants involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2025.
— With files from Maura Forrest in Halifax
