“The tariffs are on, but we cannot break, We must rise together, for Canada’s sake. This truth-less aggression, we find ourselves in, Fueled only by lies, it’s a fight we will win. So take a deep breath, you are not alone, We will stand together, because Canada’s home.” – from the song Canada’s Home, with lyrics by Brad Grant
A Commentary for Our Canada by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper
Posted June 27th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
Many of you in Niagara may remember ‘The Friendship Festival’ that was held each year over Canada Day and Fourth of July in Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, N.Y.
The days-long festival’s concerts, fireworks and other activities were billed as a celebration of the friendship between Canada and the United States going back more than a hundred years.
The first festival was held in 1987 and the last in 2019 – a 32-year run that ended in 2020 with the onset of the COVID pandemic. It never resumed after the worst of the pandemic was over which, as it turns out, is just as well since Trump has turned that friendship between the two countries upside down with his tariff war and threats against Canada’s sovereignty.
Barely more than five months in to Trump’s return to the White House it is hard to image anywhere near as many people crisscrossing the Peace Bridge as they did during those festival years, with many Canadians deciding not to cross the border out of principle and/or out of fear of how they may be treated by Trump’s federal agents on the other side.
It is a sad situation because people on both sides of the border have generally enjoyed a warm and welcoming relationship with one another and still would had it not been for Trump. We saw that a few months ago when dozens of Buffalo area residents gathered on their side, near the foot of the Peace Bridge, waving Canadians flags for people on our side to see them.
On the good side of all this, one thing Trump has done is bring Canadians closer together than we have possibly been since Expo ’67 and the celebration of our country’s 100th anniversary of confederation. For as long as I can remember, I have never seen so many Canadian flags waving from cars and the front yards of homes.
That brings me to this coming Canada Day and this long weekend of June 28th thru 30th leading up to it when we can proudly say NO to crossing that border and celebrate our own country and what makes it one of the greatest places in the world to live in right here at home.
With that, I will leave you with a song that was written since Trump first began his threats against our country. It is called Canada’s Home and you can hear it and watch the video that goes with it by clicking on the screen immediately below –
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Have a Happy Canada Day and Niagara At Large will be back with more news and commentary on the other side – Doug Draper
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