"We’re insulted and we’re angry" - Justin Trudeau sends a strong message over Canadian fans booing American national anthem at NHL games

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in on the controversy surrounding Canadian fans booing the US national anthem at hockey games. Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, he said:

“We’re probably going to keep booing the American anthem. But let me tell Americans: We’re not booing you, we’re not booing your teams, we’re not booing your players. We’re booing a policy that is designed to hurt us.

“We’re insulted and we’re angry," the Canadian PM added. "But we’re Canadian, which means we’re going to stand up for each other, we’re going to fight and we’re going to win.”

Trudeau’s comments came during his media interaction where he spoke about the import tariff that the USA had imposed on Canada. US President Donald Trump had on Monday announced that a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports would take effect from Tuesday. The move prompted a response from the Canadian PM.

“Canadians are reasonable and we are polite,” Trudeau said. “But we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the wellbeing of everyone in it is at stake. At the moment, the US tariffs came into effect in the early hours of this morning, and so did the Canadian response. Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods.”

Trump had originally announced the tariffs in February before suspending them. He had also repeatedly and publicly called for Canada to join the USA as its 51st state.

His statements and actions have prompted a wave of protests and anger from Canadian sports fans, who have taken to booing whenever the US national anthem is played during sports events. The anthem has been booed at hockey and basketball games. Fans also booed The Star-Spangled Banner during Saturday night’s WWE Elimination Chamber event in Toronto.

Justin Trudeau pens fiery response after Canada beat USA in 4 Nations Face-Off final

Canadian fans had booed the US national anthem during the recent 4 Nations Face-Off tournament as well, despite an announcement asking fans to respect all the anthems. The tournament ignited the fiery on-ice rivalry between the two nations as well, with Canada narrowly edging the USA 3-2 in overtime in the final to win the championship on February 20.

Trudeau had posted an emotional message on X (formerly Twitter) after the game.

"You can't take our country - and you can't take our game," the Canadian PM wrote.

The geopolitical tension between the two nations had added to the drama of the final, with Trump reportedly calling the US team ahead of the final and wishing them luck ahead of their big game.