TIMMINS - Though a potential trade war is paused, Timmins' veteran politician is still calling on people to buy Canadian.
Sitting behind a selection of Canadian-made products, Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus encouraged people to continue showing their solidarity.
"It is really important that we continue the boycott of American products. This is a boycott that just started by ordinary Canadians just doing what they knew they had to do. We have so many great Canadian products — buy them. The issue with America is that maybe Donald Trump gets bored and comes back at us in 30 days or 60 days or 100 days. We have to be ready," said Angus, wearing a red 'We are great' ball cap.
"What we learned from Trump is that there is no normal anymore with the United States. We have to build an economy for Canadians. We have to diversify our markets, and we have to build a Canadian economy that is resilient within Canada, so that no matter what that convicted predator from Mar-a-Lago threatens us, we are able to withstand the pressure."
Since Trump was elected in November, Angus' take on the situation has been making headlines on both sides of the border.
When Angus woke up the day after Trump's second election win, he knew Canada was in "completely uncharted territory."
"I'm just the MP from Northern Ontario, but I started speaking up. And for some reason, people have been reaching out from across Canada first and across the United States, now people across the world. I think what they're looking for are people who are willing to stand up. That's the job that I'm doing," said Angus on Tuesday.
Yesterday, said Angus, U.S. President Trump blinked.
A trade war between the United States and Canada was put on hold for 30 days.
"Two days before that, he said that unless we gave up our country, gave up our nation, these tariffs were going to stay on. Donald Trump poked the polar bear. The issue is, is that when you start threatening our right to exist as a nation Canadians are going to respond, and Canadians responded in a big way," said Angus.
A 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, with the exception of energy which would see a 10 per cent tariff, was set to take effect today.
In retaliation, Canada said it would impose 25 per cent tariffs on about $30 billion worth of American goods, with an additional $125 billion worth of goods in three weeks. In Ontario, all American-produced alcohol was set to be removed from LCBO shelves.
In exchange for the 30-day tariff pause, Canada committed to appointing a “Fentanyl Czar,” will list cartels as terrorists, ensure “24/7 eyes on the border,” and launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to deal with organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Every day Canadians, meanwhile, have been rallying to buy Canadian products.
"I think Canadians were ready to go a lot further. Canadians were ready to suffer the costs. Because we weren't talking about a tariff on this or a tariff on that, we were talking about our future as a nation. And boy, there's one thing Canadians will defend, and that's our nation and our history," said Angus.
The threat of a trade war is unifying the country.
"The Americans are incredibly divided. They're very confused. There's a lot of division in the United States. I'd much rather go in with a smaller team unified against a bigger team that's fighting amongst themselves. We are unbeatable. We are unbreakable right now."
A federal election is on the slate for this year, though it's not clear when the writ will drop.
Angus isn't seeking re-election.
"I'm going to continue to speak up. I spent my whole life in politics. People knew that I was doing blockades long before I'd even owned a suit. I feel at this time, we need people who are willing to stand up," said Angus, who believes it's the right time for him to step down.
For now, his focus is on the larger fight.
"I've started the Charlie Angus resistance network, and we'll see where it goes," he said.