Dense crowds of people decked out in maple leaves and waving a sea of Canadian flags put their elbows up for Canada on Saturday at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and his threat to make Canada the 51st state.
The rally, dubbed "Elbows up, Canada!" aimed to call on Canadians to unite to defend national sovereignty and dignity and oppose the U.S. imposition of tariffs on goods imported from Canada as well as Trump's remarks threatening Canada's sovereignty, according to organizers.
"I am a proud Canadian and I believe that we have to stand up for our country, our way of life, our parliamentary system, our legal system, our bilingualism, our multiculturalism for our indigenous people. And it's under threat from the United States, from the administration of the United States. I think the threat of annexation is real. I think it's in the mind of President Trump, that annexation is a distraction from the real problems of America. And there are real problems, there's no doubt about it," said Doug Bennett, a demonstrator.
The hockey phrase "elbows up", which originated with the legendary player Gordie Howe, became a national rallying cry this month after Canadian actor and comedian Mike Myers, clad in a "Canada is not for sale" T-shirt, mouthed the words when performing on Saturday Night Live.
"It's a hockey term for when you want to get rough in the game. It's symbolic for, 'we will defend ourselves'," said Andrew, a demonstrator who showed the hockey defense gesture.
"I believe that Canadians are resilient and we're ready to defend our country," said Salmon, a young man holding a placard that read "Elbows up".
Canadians rally to protest Trump's tariffs, annexation threats
Russia and the United States have agreed to ensure the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, provided that sanctions were eased on Russia's agricultural and food trade, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
The Kremlin said the agreement includes ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, the non-use of force, and preventing commercial ships from being used for military purposes, with inspections in place to enforce this.
It also added that the United States will help in restoring Russia's access to global markets for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lowering shipping insurance costs, and improving access to ports and international payment systems.
The agreement will enter into force after a series of sanctions and restrictions related to its agricultural and food trade were lifted, the Kremlin noted.
The move would include lifting Western sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank, which services agricultural businesses, and reconnecting the bank to the SWIFT international messaging system.
Russia has also listed in the conditions the removal of restrictions on its food and fertilizer producers and exporters, on the servicing of related Russian-flagged vessels in ports, and on the related agricultural machinery supplies to Russia.
The Kremlin statement came after Russian and U.S. representatives wrapped up their Monday's talks in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, where both sides sought arrangements for the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
Russia and Ukraine signed separately with Türkiye and the United Nations the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul in July 2022, which secured the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products from Black Sea ports.
As a parallel agreement, Russia and the UN signed a memorandum of understanding on the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer exports.
On July 17, 2023, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea deal, citing unfulfilled commitments to the Russian part.
Kremlin says Russia, U.S. agree to ensure implementing Black Sea initiative
