Windsor, Detroit to join anti-Trump rallies at three U.S.-Canada crossings

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Just weeks after a thousand Americans gathered along the riverfront in downtown Detroit to express fondness for their Windsor neighbours and to denounce the Trump administration’s trade war and threats to Canada’s sovereignty, a second binational rally is being organized.

This time, the protests against the U.S. political leadership will span three U.S./Canada border crossings. Crowds will congregate this Saturday in the communities that host Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge, Sarnia’s Blue Water Bridge, and the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie in a show of cross-border solidarity.

Though U.S. President Donald Trump walked back some global tariffs in recent weeks, Canada was not spared, only fueling the urgency for action, according to event organizers.

“The trigger for the first protest was the tariffs and grotesque threats to annex Canada, which pissed off a lot of people,” said Audrey Bourriaud, Detroit-based co-organizer of the upcoming Bridging Our Friendship event.

“Now, since things are moving so fast with the government, we are tweaking our message. We still want to emphasize the message of friendship and love between our countries, but we also want to expose the lies that the government has been making about the border.

“President Trump has been claiming that mules were passing fentanyl from Canada to the U.S., which is an obnoxious, outrageous lie.”

According to the Canadian government’s website, the U.S./Canada border accounted for 59 pounds, or less than 0.1 per cent, of all fentanyl seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection between 2022 and 2024 — a small share compared to the 61,900 pounds seized at the southern border with Mexico.

Another motivator for the upcoming rally, according to Windsor co-organizer Elaine Weeks, is the 25 per cent levy on Canadian-made automobiles and auto parts.

If the automotive tariffs remain, Weeks said the tariffs will “devastate us here in Windsor.

“This is a primary employer. Including all of the spin-off plants and all the other businesses that rely on auto trade here, it would be devastating, completely devastating.”

Stellantis — the region’s largest private-sector employer — is currently in the midst of a two-week shutdown of its Windsor Assembly Plant operations, idling around 4,500 workers.

Union leaders have reported deep anxiety across the region as the tightly integrated North American auto industry faces sudden cost hikes and uncertainty.

“Canadians are feeling bewildered, sad, and shocked,” said Weeks.

“We don’t understand this. It’s just difficult to comprehend when we’ve been allies and friends and neighbors and trade partners for years.

“If there’s enough groundswell, maybe this could make some kind of difference. I don’t know if it will.”

Still, she said the rally is a meaningful way for Canadians and Americans to band together in their shared frustration.

She estimates about 500 people gathered on the Windsor side during the March 22 rally, with about 1,000 more at Hart Plaza in Detroit.

“We really wanted to make a statement that the Canadian-American friendship is not going anywhere,” said Bourriaud.

“It’s standing — it’s strong.”

Join the movement

Bridging Our Friendship takes place Saturday, April 26, at 1 p.m. Gatherings are planned at Hart Plaza in Detroit and beneath the large Canadian flag at the Windsor riverfront.

Rallies will take place concurrently at Waterfront Park in Port Huron and Market Corner in Sault Ste. Marie.

mmazak@postmedia.com