For those surmising that Canadians were booing the U.S. anthem at sporting events because they’re angry at President Trump, well, according to Canada’s foreign minister, that’s pretty accurate.
“This is not a joke anymore,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly during an interview Tuesday on BBC’s Newsnight. “This is not something we laugh at.
“Listen, we’ve had enough with this rhetoric. No Canadians now are having fun with this. And there’s a reason why Canadians, when they go out on a hockey game, are booing the American national anthem.
“We’re insulted. We’re mad. We’re angry.”
The booing trend began on February 1 when Ottawa fans booed the U.S. anthem before their game against the Minnesota Wild. The following night, Canadian basketball fans caught the trend by booing the anthem before the Los Angeles Clippers’ game against the Toronto Raptors.
The anthem wars didn’t cool off during the 4 Nations Face-Off when the U.S. and Canada faced each other twice. One particularly raucous night in Montreal saw Team USA and Canada drop the gloves and fight three times in the first nine seconds after thoroughly booing the U.S. anthem.
The boos came on the same day that President Trump signed executive orders placing tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. He also had joked on social media about Canada becoming the “51st state.”
The Trump administration’s tariffs against Canada went into effect on Tuesday, prompting a retaliatory round of tariffs from Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
With the tariff war in full swing, the anthem booing will be unlikely to stop anytime soon.