Canadians booed the American national anthem at two MLS games in recent days, underscoring the country's growing frustration with its southern neighbor after talks between the allies broke down, opening another chapter in the trade war that began after President Donald Trump returned to office. Fans could be heard booing during renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in footage from the weekend's soccer matches—the Vancouver Whitecaps vs. FC Dallas match at BC Place on Saturday, and CF Montréal vs.
Los Angeles Galaxy the same day, both home games. The two cases follow the collapse of trade talks between American and Canadian negotiators last week. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the United States had made last-minute changes to the terms of the agreement that were “unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.” The U.S. side, meanwhile, called the situation a “missed opportunity” for Ottawa.
The U.S. has now imposed 50 percent tariffs on hundreds of Canadian products, including motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, and dairy, together worth around $20 billion, according to the U.S. Trade Representative's Office. Carney has said his country will match it “dollar for dollar.” “For over a year, Canada has worked intensively and in good faith with the United States to negotiate a new comprehensive trade deal,” Carney said in a statement on Friday.
We have pursued every opportunity to reach an agreement that protects Canadian workers and their families, that strengthens our economy, and that respects Canadian sovereignty.” “We have been under no illusions,” Carney's statement continued. Writing on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said he would expand the U.S. duties to include “Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel,” after accusing Canada of “ripping off the United States of America for years.” Canada-U.S. relations have deteriorated since Trump returned to the Oval Office in January 2025, and are now widely seen as at their tensest in decades. While the two remain close militarily and continue to engage in significant trade, tariff disputes and Trump’s repeated reference to Canada as a 51st state have sparked growing antipathy against the U.S.
Alongside retaliatory duties imposed by Ottawa, several provinces continue to bar sales of U.S. alcohol—which emerged as a key issue during recent negotiations—while many Canadians continue wider boycotts of American products. Similar periods of heightened tension early on in Trump’s second term also saw Canadian sports fans boo the U.S. anthem. And according to a recent poll from the Angus Reid Institute, a nonpartisan public opinion research firm, 48 percent of Canadians have an “unfavorable” opinion of their southern neighbors, more than the 45 percent who hold a “favorable” view of Americans.
By contrast, 79 percent of Americans view Canadians favorably, with just over 6 percent holding a negative opinion. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Sam Wilson.
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